Man of the House
by Neelloc12
Summary: Something happens to Grissom leaving little 5 yr. old Alex as the "man of the house". How will he deal with the situation?
1. Where's Daddy?

Disclaimer:I do not own csi, I do not own Grissom(damn it) or own Sara, or Brass, yadda yadda yadda. I do not own Bruno either(although he is a cutie). I know he's known as Hank on the show but I like his real name better so he'll always be Bruno in my stories. I do however own the characters of Alex and Megan since I made them up. IF I DID own Grissom I would gladly share him with anyone...for a small fee of course(members of the GrissomandSaraForeverLove wiki would get a discount rate LOL). This story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine.

Rated T: Wasn't sure what to rate it so decided on T just in case for any future chapters.

Summary: Something happens to Grissom leaving little 5 yr. old Alex as the "man of the house". How will he deal with the situation?

**Chapter 1**

"Mommy, Mommy!! Look what I made for daddy in art today!!" yelled 5 yr. old Alex as he ran to Sara after getting off the bus. Bruno bounded up to his "little brother" and lapped at his face happily.

"Ewww, Bruno!!" he squealed, laughing.

After a moment Alex finally managed to escape Bruno's tongue assault.

"Shhh, calm down little man. You'll wake your sister." Sara spoke softly, waving her hand at her son to quiet down, and pointing at the sleeping bundle in the stroller.

"Now let me see your picture."

Alex held his picture up proudly for his mother to see. On the paper were two big black ovals with squiggly lines coming off them. Each oval had two white eyes and a white smile. To the left of the paper were smaller ovals, similar to the larger ones, but with frowns on them.

"Wow" replied Sara, "That's wonderful. Tell me about your picture." she asked as they headed towards the house.

Alex beamed at his mother's enthusiasm over his picture. He pointed at the two larger ovals, "Those are daddy's racing cuckaroaches and they're smiling cause they just beat the other cuckaroaches in a race." He then pointed at the smaller ovals. "See, they were WAAAY behind daddy's cuckaroaches cause they were TOOOO slow. You think daddy will like it?" the little boy asked.

"He's gonna love it."

Alex beamed again at Sara's answer as they entered the house.

"Now why don't you put your backpack in your room and I'll fix you a snack."

"Ok" he said as he took off down the hall, Bruno hot on his heels.

Alex was a spitten image of Grissom. Same brown curly hair, same sparkling blue eyes, even the same devilish grin when he smiled. If Sara didn't know better she'd swear Wayne Zalinsky from Honey, I shrunk the kids had broken into the house and zapped Grissom down to size with his shrink ray.

Their daughter Megan on the other hand, Grissom was sure was gonna take after Sara. She had those same captivating brown eyes, and at only a month old already had every man in the lab wrapped around her little finger, himself included.

A moment later Alex and Bruno came bounding back into the kitchen.

"Here ya go little man." Sara said as she placed a plate of apple slices with peanut butter and some graham crackers in front of him, then poured him a glass of milk.

"Mmmm yummy." he exclaimed.

_whine_

Bruno sat next to Alex's chair and looked at him and Sara with pleading brown eyes.

"Oh alright, you can have a snack too." said Sara. She handed Bruno a large biscuit which Bruno grabbed quickly and took to his bed to munch away happily.

"Where's daddy anyway?" asked Alex as he took a piece of apple.

"Oh he got stuck working a double today. I'm sure he'll be home soon." Sara replied.

Just then Megan woke up and began to whimper. Sara, not wanting to disturb her, had left Megan in the stroller in the living room to continue sleeping.

"Guess your sister is getting hungry too. I'm gonna take her to the nursery and feed her while you eat your snack ok?"

"Ok mommy."

Sara picked up the now wailing Megan and took her down the hall as "the boys" happily ate their snacks. As Alex finished his snack there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" asked Alex as he approached the door. He had always been told NEVER open the door without finding out who was on the other side first.

"It's your favorite person in the whole wide world." replied the voice. Alex giggled as he opened the door.

"Hi Gampa Jim."

Alex still couldn't say grampa right but Brass loved the way he said it better.

"Hey big guy." greeted Brass as he ruffled the small boy's hair. "Where's your mother? I need to speak to her."

"She's feeding Megan." Alex answered. "MOMMY!! GAMPA JIM IS HERE TO SEE YOU!!" yelled Alex.

" BE RIGHT THERE" Sara hollered back. A moment later Sara walked into the living room. "Hey Jim, what's up."

The smile on her face quickly disappeared when she saw the serious look on Brass's face. "Is something wrong?" she asked worried.

"Ummm" Brass replied glancing between her and Alex. Sara got the message that Brass didn't want Alex to hear it. "Alex honey, why don't you take Bruno and go play in your room for awhile ok?"

"Ok mommy, come on Bruno." Alex said as he headed for his room. As soon as she heard Alex's bedroom door close, Sara turned back to Brass.

"Alright, what is it? What's wrong? Is it Grissom? Is he alright?" Sara rattled off.

"Sara..." Brass began but stopped, wishing he didn't have to be there at that moment.

"Jim, what is it? Spit it out already."

Sara was getting more and more anxious. Brass took a deep breath and sighed.

"Grissom's missing."

A/N: OK I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. Reviews are appreciated but not required(but I hope you do LOL)


	2. Alex to the rescue

Disclaimer: Same as the first chapter.

Rating: Still T just in case.

A/N: Thank you to those who have reviewed. I don't know why but it took 2 days for the reviews to end up in my inbox and for the story alert to end up in peoples' inboxes according to a friend of mine. This chapter is a little shorter then the first but I hope you still enjoy it.

Chapter 2

She felt as if she had been sucker punched in the stomach and had the wind knocked out of her.

_Missing, missing, missing_. The words echoed over and over in Sara's head. This couldn't be happening. It must be a dream or a sick joke. It just couldn't be real.

Brass began to worry when Sara didn't respond to the news. "Sara?" he quietly spoke as he gently touched her shoulder. His touch seemed to snap her out of her haze.

"What the hell happened?! Where is he?!" Sara screamed. "Sara, calm down. I'll tell you what we know so far." Brass said as he grabbed Sara by both shoulders, trying to remain calm himself.

"He was out investigating a D.B. in a house by the Howard Duncan Park." Brass began.

"Where was the cop guarding the scene?!" Sara yelled again.

"I'm getting to that. The cop got a call about a riot, all officers in the area needed. Apparently it was a hoax to draw the cop away from the scene." stated Brass.

"And Grissom was left all alone?!" Sara asked, unable to tone down her voice.

"No, Nick was there with him."

"Oh my god, Nick, is he ok? Where is he?!" Sara exclaimed.

"He's ok. The perpetrator snuck up behind him and hit him over the head. When he woke up, whoever hit him was gone and so was Grissom. He found Grissom's open field kit in the house. There appeared to be a struggle. Either the perp tried to sneak up on Griss and failed or he didn't worry about being quiet once he got the cop and Nick out of the way. Nick is being kept overnight as a precaution. He's got a mild concussion and a nice bruise on the back of his head. I practically had to drag him off the scene and get checked out at the hospital. He wanted to stay and help Catherine, Warrick, and Greg process the scene. He was more concerned about you and the kids then his own health."

"Oh my god, the kids?!" Sara gasped as she looked towards the hall. "How am I gonna tell Alex his father's been kidnaped?" she asked as she began to pace back and forth. A moment later she paused and sighed.

"Guess I might as well get this over with."

"You want me to come with you?" Brass asked.

"No, no...thanks Jim but I should do this alone. You wait here."

A moment later Brass could hear Sara screaming his name.

"JIM!!"

Brass rushed down the hall.

"What is it?!" he asked frantically.

"Alex is gone, so is Bruno. He left this note." She said with tears streaming down her face.

Brass took the note, written in crayon, and began reading.

_Mommy,_

_I herd you and Gampa Jim talking. Daddy always said I was the man of the howse when he wuzzent heer and to take care of you and Megan. So Bruno and I are gunna find daddy and bring him home so you can be happy again._

_Luv,_

_Alex_

Brass and Sara stared at each other for a moment.

"He can't have gotten far." Sara said as she rushed out of Alex's bedroom.

"ALEX!! ALEX!!" Sara screamed as she ran out of the front door.

"ALEXANDER JAMES GRISSOM WHERE ARE YOU?!

She began to run down the sidewalk when Brass grabbed her arm from behind.

"Sara, you gotta stay here with Megan. Let us handle this. I'll keep you informed, about Grissom too."

Sara nodded her head, unable to speak.

"Did either of you see a little boy leaving the property?" Brass asked the two officers out front, stunned from Sara's screaming.

"No sir." They both replied.

"Alright, Laford...you stay here with Sara."

"Yes sir" the officer replied, gently taking Sara's arm and leading her back to the house.

"Winskye, you're with me."

"Yes sir" the second officer replied, heading to the car with Brass as Jim grabbed his walkie talkie and began relaying information about Alex.

"This is Capt. Brass. I'm putting out an A.P.B. on a missing child. Name is Alexander Grissom, 5 yrs. old, short curly brown hair, blue eyes..."

Sara stood in the front window as she watched Brass and the officer speed off.

A/N: OK, hope you enjoyed the chapter. The park's name was created by using both of my late grandfathers first names. The officers are the last names of an old classmate of mine(Laford) and a friend of mine since the 3rd grade(Winskye-pronounced "Win-ski") Couldn't think of any names so I just chose from guys I know. Again reviews are not required but I hope you will leave one.


	3. A boy and his dog

Disclaimer: I still don't own Grissom(damn it),Sara, Brass, or even Bruno. If I did members of the GrissomandSaraForeverLovewiki would still get a discount to rent Grissom for a short while(PiperGrissom gets first dibs for being the site creator, sorry gang lol). I also do not own Spiderman or Transformers. I do however own the charcters of Alex and Megan and the Howard Duncan Park since I made them all up. I also own any and all mistakes since this story is not beta'd. And now for your reading pleasure, chapter 3 of Man of the House, enjoy.

_15 - 20 mins. earlier_

Alex waited for Bruno to enter the room before closing the door but immediately, gently reopened the

door a crack to listen. His door was out of sight of the living room so he didn't worry about them seeing

it ajar.

Alex had done this numerous times before when he would get sent to his room so his parents could talk

in private. He always hoped it would be to talk about a present for him, even when it was nowhere near

his birthday or Christmas. This was how he found out he was gonna be a big brother before they had

told him. Grissom and Sara were a little confused as to his calm reception of the news but didn't think

twice about it.

Alex leaned his ear to the opening just in time to hear Brass say

"Grissom's missing."

He knew people often referred to his daddy by their last name. Just as his mother had reacted, he also thought it was impossible.

"Who would want to hurt daddy? Who would want to take him? He's the bestest daddy in the world. Everybody loves daddy, except maybe that evil bald man(Ecklie) but he wouldn't do anything to daddy." he thought to himself.

"In a house by the Howard Duncan Park." he heard Brass continue to say.

"I know where that is!!" he thought excitedly.

One of his best friends from school lived near the park.

In that instant he knew what he had to do. He quickly dumped out his backpack and quietly opened the door wide enough for him to get out.

"Bruno stay." he said to the canine as he attempted to follow the little boy.

Alex tip-toed down the hall in his stocking feet. Sara and Brass stood in the middle of the living room with their backs to him and didn't see him tip-toe through the kitchen doorway.

He vaguely heard Brass begin talking about Uncle Nick in the house as he rushed around the kitchen. If he was gonna go on a trip he'd need some food and fast.

He took his little stepping stool, placed it in front of the counter, and stepped on it.

He grabbed the half loaf of bread and stuck it in his backpack. He then climbed onto the counter and, quietly as he could, opened the cabinet. He grabbed a jar of peanut butter and stuffed that in his bag as well.

He closed the cabinet door, leaving it ajar. He was afraid it would make too much noise if he tried to shut it. This wasn't like one of his many late night snack raids where he could afford to make a tiny noise and not wake whoever was watching him while his parents worked.

Next he needed something to spread the peanut butter on his bread but he wasn't allowed to touch the silverware.

"Ah ha." he thought as he grabbed his stool and carried it quickly to the silverware drawer. He stood on his stool, opened the drawer, and grabbed a plastic knife. He was at least allowed to touch the plasticware.

He opened the drawer next to it and took out a plastic bag and put the plastic knife in it. Sara always put the plasticware in sandwich bags when they went on a picnic.

Once he had everything he wanted he quietly zipped the bag close and began tip-toeing back towards his room.

Brass was now talking about Uncle Nick staying at the hospital as he got back to his room. They still had their backs towards the hall and didn't see nor heard him go past them again.

Bruno jumped excitedly at his little master's return.

"Shhh Bruno. We're going on a trip." he said to the boxer as he sat on his rug and began putting on his spiderman shoes with the velcro straps(what else would you expect from the son of an entomologist? Transformers sneakers?).

He pulled a small chair to a window that opened over the deck in the backyard.

"Wait clothes, I need clothes."

He started for his dresser when he suddenly stopped.

He could hear the distinct sound of his mother's footsteps at the beginning of the hallway.

"No time for clothes." he thought.

He grabbed his little backpack and his windbreaker from the back of the chair he had placed under the window and quickly climbed out onto the deck.

"Bruno come." he called.

The window was just low enough for him to clear it as he jumped through onto the deck and then followed his little master across the backyard towards the gate.

Just as Alex began to open the gate he could hear Sara screaming for Brass.

"Don't worry mommy." he whispered towards the house, "I'll find daddy and bring him home."

In a flash he and Bruno were gone.

A/N: Well now you know how Alex found out about his daddy missing and managed to get out of the house undetected. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm sure you're wondering how Grissom is doing. Don't worry, we'll find that out in chapter 4.


	4. Welcome to Hell

Disclaimer: same as before, I don't own CSI yada yada yada, STILL don't own Grissom(damn it again). This story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are all mine.

**Chapter 4**

_Earlier that afternoon_

Grissom lifted prints off of a lead pipe found next to a young male D.B. about late 20's-early 30's. Dr. Robbins had already examined the body and had it removed and taken back to the morgue.

There had only been 20 mins. left of shift when the call came in. In typical Grissom fashion he took the case himself, taking Nick with him, instead of leaving it for the day shift and Ecklie's buffoons.

Grissom next swabbed the blood found on the end of the pipe before placing the pipe in an evidence bag and sealing it.

It appeared the victim had been meeting the murderer in a drug deal, using an old house under construction to conduct business, and obviously something went wrong and the deal turned sour leaving a young man bludgeoned to death and the lead pipe was the suspected implement of death.

Grissom couldn't help but wonder if it had been Prof. Plum or Col. Mustard who had killed the young man with the lead pipe in the dining room.

It was now about 1:30 in the afternoon as Grissom finished up processing the inside of the house, Nick had been working the outside, and Grissom was hoping to get all the evidence back to the lab, processed and cataloged, so he could get home in time to meet Alex at the bus stop.

The thought of his young son made him smile. At 5 yrs. old Alex was already showing a huge interest in insects(what a shocker huh?) And was one of the smartest kids, if not thee smartest kid, in his kindergarten class(you would expect anything less from a child of Gil and Sara Grissom?). Now he also had a beautiful new baby girl in his life. Sometimes he'd wonder to himself where he'd be today if he had never met a certain beautiful, young brunette out in San Francisco. The thought made him literally shudder.

"Ohhh" Grissom groaned as he stood up after having been kneeling half of the time. He leaned over slightly to rub his aching knees. Grissom knew he wasn't a young man anymore, a fact he admitted silently and vocally often, but throw in a 5 yr. old into the mix and doubles sometimes felt like triples. He didn't even want to imagine what they'll feel like once Megan became mobile.

Grissom began taking off his latex gloves as he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

"All set to head back to the lab Nicky?" he asked without turning around.

Suddenly an arm wrapped around Grissom's neck from behind and tightened against his throat. Grissom gasped for air as he grasped at his attacker's arm, desperately trying to remove it.

Grissom lifted the attacker clear off the ground as he leaned forward, trying to shake and flip him off his back but the individual stuck to him like glue, his grip around Grissom's throat never loosening.

With his last bit of strength, Grissom slammed backwards against the wall.

"Ooof" he heard the wind knocked from the attacker's lungs but still they held their grip firm.

Grissom dropped to his knees as his world started to fade to black. As his knees hit the floor his attacker finally released his grip as Grissom fell forward unconscious.

_Time passes_

"Ohhh" Grissom groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He slowly sat up and looked around as he rubbed his soar throat.

All around him were cement walls with a small window, way too small for him to squeeze through and too high for him to reach anyways, at the top of one wall. Looked like he was in some kind of basement room.

Across from the window was a small metal door, just big enough for an average size person to fit through. He knew it was probably futile but still thought he'd try the door in hopes his captor had forgotten to lock it.

He slowly stood up and took a moment to steady himself, still feeling a little uneasy from his attack.

He took a few steps towards the door when he suddenly felt something jerk his left leg out from under him, causing him to fall to his knees.

He looked down at his feet and saw a metal clasp around his ankle with a chain attached to the wall.

Guess it didn't matter now whether the door was locked or not. It was clear to him he wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon.

He trudged back over to the wall and sat down, leaning against it.

Suddenly his heart started racing with fear. "Oh my god...Where's Sara? Where are the kids? Are they alright?"

As his mind raced with questions he heard someone approach the door. He could hear a key inserted into a lock and turned. The door creaked open and a shadowy figure stood in the doorway.

"Ahhh Dr. Grissom, I see you're awake. Welcome to hell."

A/N: Well now you know how Grissom vanished. I was gonna make the chapter longer to include his first meeting with his captor but decided to end it here and leave that till the next chapter.


	5. It's all your fault

Disclaimer: I STILL don't own Grissom(damn it again) or anybody else for that matter. I only own the characters of Alex, Megan, and Alan Sawyer. If I DID own Grissom my fellow members at the grissomandsaraforeverlove wiki would still get a discount for renting the man. Oh yeah, and members of the crazybillyfans wiki also get a discount too. This story is still not beta'd so any and all mistakes are still mine. Now on to chapter 5, enjoy.

Rated: T

**Chapter 5**

"Who are you? What do you want from me? Why am I here?" Grissom asked the stranger in a raspy voice, his vocal chords having been bruised in the attack, while shielding his eyes from the bright light flooding the room. There may have been a small window in his room but it didn't allow much light in.

The shadowy figure entered the room as Grissom's eyes finally adjusted.

"Don't you recognize me Dr. Grissom? Don't you recognize the man whose life you took away from him 5 yrs. ago?"

Grissom gazed at the man. He was roughly six feet tall, thin build, lightly tanned skin, short sandy blonde hair, and his eyes...his eyes were dark... he couldn't tell what color the man's eyes were. All he could see were eyes clearly filled with hatred for the man he now had chained to the wall.

Grissom racked his brain, trying to remember the disturbed individual standing in front of him. Grissom always had a great memory and could remember almost every case he ever worked, but this man...this man he could not remember.

He did look familiar but only vaguely. The name and details of any case involving this man escaped him.

The man could tell by the puzzled look on Grissom's face that he was having trouble placing him.

"Here, let me refresh your memory my dear doctor" the man began as he started to slowly pace in front of him.

"April 14th, 2003. My two partners and I held up a jewelry store on the outskirts of Vegas. I was only supposed to be the driver but at the last minute it was decided it would be best if we all went in, three men are scarier then two ya know? So we went in, everything was running smoothly until the manager decided to try and be a hero. It was all a blur after that."

It hit him like a ton of bricks. He remembered who this was now, Alan Sawyer, a man(in his mid-twenties at the time) who looked like he didn't really want to be there but had run out of options. Grissom knew this cause he had been one of the customers in the store.

He had gone into the store after shift ended. He had wanted to get Sara, who was eight months pregnant with Alex at the time, a mother's day gift. He knew he was a month early but he was anxious to order her one of those mother/child birthstone necklaces Catherine had told him about.

Sara had not wanted him to get anything for her yet cause she felt she wasn't officially a mother till the baby was born and therefore not deserving of a mother's day gift. Of course Grissom disagreed.

He was just finalizing the purchase when the three men stormed in, two of them with guns, and the third with a knife.

Sawyer saw the look of realization on Grissom's face and smirked, "Ahhh I see our memory has been jogged, you remember me now huh?"

Grissom simply nodded.

"Well you probably remember that day now but let me refresh your memory anyways."

_**flashback**_

"_NOBODY MOVE!!" _

_Everyone in the store jumped and turned towards the voice. Three individuals had just stormed in. The man who had yelled looked to be about mid-thirties, had shoulder length black hair, medium build, goatee, green eyes, and carried a gun._

_The man to his left, also holding a gun, had brown hair down to his ears, beard, brown eyes, looked to be about late twenties to early thirties, and was slightly heavier then the first man._

_Then there was the man to the right of the first man. He was holding a knife, about mid-twenties, thin build, sandy blonde hair falling between his ears and shoulders, dark blue eyes, and looking a bit nervous._

"_Stay right where you are!!" The first man continued._

_He nodded to the other two men to spread out. There were six people in the store, two clerks(one male and one female) and four customers, including Grissom._

"_Fill these bags now!!" The first man yelled again, tossing his bag to one clerk while the brown-haired man tossed his bag to the other._

_The sandy-haired man kept his knife trained on Grissom, about four feet in front of him, and an older woman standing five feet from Grissom. The brown-haired man watched the female clerk and a young female customer, while the apparent leader of the trio, watched the male clerk and remaining male customer, a middle-aged man._

_All of a sudden the leader turned and fired his gun towards the doorway to the backrooms. The manager of the store had been in the back when the men entered the store._

_Instead of waiting for the cops to arrive, he decided to try and take down the three men on his own with his own gun. The leader had seen the man's reflection in a glass case, turned and fired, hitting the manager in the right shoulder._

_The women screamed._

"_I said don't move!!" he yelled._

_The young criminal jumped from the commotion. He nervously stepped forward, making sure Grissom and the woman stayed put, but when he did he stepped on his untied shoelace, causing him to trip and fall forward._

_He fell straight into Grissom, the knife in his hand digging deep into Grissom's left side._

_Just then the cops barged in, lead by Brass._

"_Hold it right there!! Drop the guns!!" Brass yelled._

_The two men with guns turned and fired. The cops fired back, wounding the brown-haired man but killing the leader. _

_Luckily everyone else had dropped to the floor when the gunmen had been distracted by the cops entrance and no one else was injured._

_During the shooting the young man just sat back on the floor and watched the in shock as the blood began to pool under Grissom's waist. He never realized the cops were there till they grabbed him from behind and wrestled him to the ground._

_**end flashback**_

"It was an accident!! I didn't mean to stab you!!" Sawyer yelled at Grissom, "You know it was!!"

Sawyer now paced frantically as he continued his rage against Grissom.

"You knew it was an accident but you never showed at my trial!! They showed the surveillance tapes but you couldn't see my feet behind the counter, you couldn't see me trip!! They thought I lunged at you and charged me with aggravated assault along with armed robbery!!"

Sawyer was beet red with anger. You could almost see the steam coming out of his ears.

"I should have only gotten six years and been out in two for good behavior but NOOO, since you weren't there to confirm my story I got fifteen years instead!! The lead investigator, some ass named Ecklie, said he took your statement and that you said I came after you. Since they had the tapes they must have figured they didn't need you. This Ecklie guy even submitted your statement in writing saying I attacked you!!"

"_What? I never told Ecklie this guy attacked me. I never wrote it down either. I told him the guy tripped and fell into me." _Grissom thought to himself.

"That was all bullshit!! I heard rumor evidence had been lost but then found again. I bet that ass lost the real statement and submitted a false one!! If you had been there you could have corrected them!!"

Grissom thought the man looked like his head was ready to explode any second now.

"Where were you?! Where were you May 14th?! What was so damn more important then my trial?!"

"_May 14__th__?" _Grissom thought to himself, _"The trial was may 14__th__? That was the day Alex was born."_

_--_

A/N: Well now we know what this guy has against Grissom. Blames him for the punishment he got cause Grissom missed the court date. Figures Ecklie would screw things up huh? I don't know how many years a person would get for each crime but hey its my story, I could have a murderer walking after four days if I wanted too lol. Its not required but a review would be appreciated, thanks.

A/N2: We're not quite done with the first meeting yet. Sawyer still hasn't explained his plan for Grissom yet. Then we'll get back to Alex, Sara, and the gang. Like what was the gang doing investigating Grissom's disappearance when the crime happened during day's shift hmmm? Remember Grissom and Nick were working a double so technically day shift should have been investigating. Guess we'll just have to wait and see now won't we.


	6. Sawyer's plan

Disclaimer: Same as before. I don't own anyone from CSI, yada, yada, yada. I only own the characters of Alex, Megan, and Sawyer. This story is still not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Rated: T

**Chapter 6**

Now he understood why he had forgotten all about that case. Even later on whenever he glanced at his scar he couldn't remember how he got it. Everything had been buried deep within his brain and locked away the moment his son, his first born child, had been placed in his arms.

But now everything had come rushing back like a flood. Even his body seemed to remember that day as his side began to ache slightly and he subconsciously reached down with his right hand to rub where his scar was.

"You haven't answered me yet!! Where were you?!" Sawyer screamed, snapping Grissom out of his thoughts.

Grissom glared at Sawyer.

"Oh I'm sorry, but I felt it was more important to be by my wife's side as she gave birth to our son, rather then seeing how many years your sorry ass got sent to jail for." he snapped sarcastically.

**SMACK**

Grissom's head whipped to the side as Sawyer's hand connected with the left side of Grissom's face. He could taste the blood as it trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Don't get smart we me doctor." Sawyer growled, "You still should have been there. Your wife would have been fine without you. Women have babies without the father there all the time, they did it for centuries. I lost years of my life cause of you. I lost my family cause of you!!" Sawyer barked.

Grissom just sat and stared at the man, rubbing his face.

"My wife divorced me while I was in jail, said she didn't want to be associated with a criminal, wouldn't bring my own son to see me. He was five at the time. My wife and I married young, twenty."

Sawyer began pacing again as he spoke.

"When I got out of jail two months ago I went to the house to speak to her. I thought we could work things out and be a family again but she just slammed the door in my face. Yelled at me to go away before she called the cops so I left. I went to the school and waited for my son to get out, thinking I could get him to reason with her or at the very least be a part of his life again. He looked the same as I remembered him, only taller. He was just like his mother though, didn't want anything to do with me. Said I wasn't his father anymore, that I was just some no good criminal."

Sawyer's face was turning beet red again as he ranted.

"I am not some no good criminal!! We were tight on cash at the time and I thought just one hit and we'd be all set. I would never do it again after that."

Sawyer paused to catch his breath and then turned to look at Grissom.

"You took my family away from me so now I'm gonna do the same to you."

Grissom's eyes grew wide.

"That's right. I'm gonna take your family away from you and make them mine. They're gonna be MY family from now on."

Grissom narrowed his eyes at his "host".

"You keep your filthy hands off of them. They're MY family." he said through gritted teeth.

"Not anymore they're not." Sawyer spatted back, "besides...I'm not gonna hurt them. I'm gonna earn their trust. I'm gonna start by becoming a concerned citizen offering my sympathies to the family in their time of need."

By now Sawyer's frantic pace had slowed to a casual stride.

"Then I'll become a trusted friend. I'll be there whenever they need me. I'll be a shoulder to cry on for Sara."

Grissom raised his eyebrows. "How'd he know her name?" he wondered.

"Oh yes, I know her name...and the kids too. I've done my homework. Now as I was saying, I'd be a shoulder to cry on for Sara. A father figure for Alex and Megan. Then when enough time has passed and all hopes of your return are gone, I'll move onto the next level."

"They'll never give up hope. They'll never stop looking for me!!" Grissom yelled.

Sawyer just kept casually pacing and talking as if he never heard Grissom speak.

"I'll begin by taking Sara out to fancy restaurants, to the movies. I'll take her and the kids on outtings. I'll take them to the park, to California to see the ocean, to amusement parks. And everyday I'll come here and tell ya how everything is going. Oh and don't worry, I'll leave ya enough food to last ya till I get back from any long trips. Plus you've got your own little toilet there in the corner, which I'm sure you've seen, so you'll be fine." Sawyer smirked at him as he spoke.

Actually Grissom hadn't noticed till just then the toilet sitting in the corner. He had not been awake long when Sawyer entered the room.

"See Dr. Grissom, I take good care of my guests. I'm not a heartless human being." he said, "if I was you'd be dead by now. Well I'm getting off track again so let us continue. Where was I?...oh yes, I'll tell ya how they all smile at me and laugh at my jokes. How Alex calls me "Dad" as we play catch in the backyard, the first time Megan says "Dada" as she looks into my eyes..."

Grissom clutched his fists to his side. His breathing had become hard and heavy, like a bull ready to charge.

"...how Sara smiles at me and hugs me tight as I bring her flowers for no apparent reason, and..."

Sawyer stops pacing and turns towards Grissom, smiling smugly.

"...how she calls my name in bed."

"YOU SON OF A..." In a flash Grissom was on his feet and charging at Sawyer, his arms out in front, ready to grab the man by the throat.

Just as he was about to lay his hands on him the ground was yanked out from beneath him. One second he was on his feet, the next he was on the ground, laying on his side, holding his left ankle as he grimaced in pain.

He had charged so hard at Sawyer that when he reached the end of his chain, the force of the sudden stop had jerked the clasp against his ankle, causing it to fracture.

"Tisk, tisk, tisk. You need to learn to control your temper my dear doctor Grissom before you hurt yourself any further." Sawyer said smirking down at Grissom, mere inches from Grissom's grasp.

"Lucky for you I know first aid. I'll be right back to take care of that ankle and give you something for the pain."

With that Sawyer turned and walked out of the room chuckling to himself, leaving Grissom alone in his nearly dark prison.

--

A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Can you believe this Sawyer guy? Next chapter we will return to our little "hero" and check in on Sara. Again reviews are not required but would be appreciated. I'd like to know what people are thinking about the story so far.

A/N: A little note to gsrgirl4eva. See you were close on your guess but not exact. Oh yeah, people gsrgirl4eva has started writing her first fanfic story called "Falling for her daughter" and I encourage everyone to check out the story and leave reviews for my pal on her first story, thanks.


	7. The Journey

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own anything to do with CSI but IF I did own Grissom I would gladly share him with my fellow members at the grissomandsaraforeverlove wiki...for a small fee of course lol. I also do not own the power rangers or yahoo instant messenger. As always this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine.

Rated: T

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I was hoping to get this chapter out sooner but kept getting sidetracked by one thing or another. I hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter 7**

_Back out on the streets_

"Bruno NO, we don't have time to play." Alex hollered at the boxer.

Alex and Bruno had made it about a block away from home when they came upon one of Bruno's canine friends Bentley, a 6 yr. Old Westie/Shih-Tzu mix, and immediately bowed, ready to play with his little friend.

Bruno stood up and whined, looking between Alex and Bentley, as if begging his little master to let him play.

"NO Bruno. I told you we don't have time. We gotta go save daddy and bring him home to mommy so she can be happy again, now let's go." he said as he began walking down the street again.

Bruno whined again before reluctantly bidding farewell to his friend and continuing to follow Alex down the street.

They made it another half block when the sound of blaring sirens began to fill the air.

"Quick Bruno, hide!!" Alex said as he dropped to his hands and knees and crawled into some nearby bushes. Bruno followed his little master's lead and crawled into the bushes behind him just as Brass's car rounded the corner.

Officer Winskye, riding shotgun, did a double take towards the bushes, swearing he thought he saw movement.

"See something?" Brass asked, seeing the officer's reaction.

The young officer continued to look back at the bushes another moment before turning back forward in his seat.

"Nah...Nah, it was nothing. Just a cat or something running into the bushes."

Alex waited till the car rounded the corner and the sirens faded.

"That was close Bruno. Gampa Jim almost saw us." he said as he crawled out from the bushes (he could tell it was Brass cause it didn't have pictures or say POLICE on the side like other cop cars did), "he would have made us go home. Then who would find daddy?" he continued as they began walking down the street again, "Not that evil bald man. Daddy says he's so ineppy he couldn't find a tick on a hairless dog."

He wasn't sure what his daddy meant by that but it made his mommy laugh. Whatever it meant he knew Ecklie wouldn't try very hard to find his daddy. He didn't know that, as soon as word got out it was Grissom missing, the graveyard shift had demanded the case from Ecklie even though it happened on day's shift. They weren't about to let any other shift look for one of their own, especially Ecklie and his day shift flunkies.

"Only one more block to go Bruno." Alex said a short time later. The park was only three blocks from their home.

He began picturing himself and Bruno showing up at the crime scene, he didn't know which house it was but he was sure it'd be clear which house it was, then he'd find a big clue that told him where the bad man took his daddy. He'd go to the bad man's evil lair(cause that's where the bad guys always took their prisoners in cartoons) and he and Bruno would defeat the bad man's evil henchmen. _"Maybe it'd be 50, no 100 evil ninjas!!"_ he thought excitedly., _"Me and Bruno could take them on."_ After all, he'd been watching power rangers since he was three and studied their moves carefully. How hard could it be? Plus he had Bruno with him, the world's greatest and toughest dog. Then they would find his daddy and take him home. Mommy would scoop him up in a big hug and call him her little hero.

"WOOF!! WOOF!!" Bruno barked, snapping the little boy out of his crazy fantasy.

"What is it Bruno?", then he heard it, sirens approaching yet again. Bruno had heard them off in the distance, out of human range, while Alex had been daydreaming his heroic rescue of Grissom.

"Not again!!" Alex yelped.

Alex was frantically searching for a place to hide, there was no bushes to hide behind this time, when he spotted the empty dog house at the side of the yard.

"Come on Bruno!!" Alex yelled as he ran to the doghouse.

Alex quickly crawled inside. Bruno paused at the opening. It was clear that he wasn't gonna fit inside and the sirens were approaching fast.

Alex looked around quickly for another place Bruno could hide when it hit him. There were multiple life size dog statues around the yard.

"Ah ha!! I got it!! Bruno stand!!", the boxer stood straight, "Bruno stay!!", Bruno froze to his spot, looking straight ahead. _"I hope this works"_ Alex thought as he ducked back into the doghouse.

Seconds later Brass's car approached the house. They had decided to take another lap around in case they missed something earlier on their first drive by.

"Wow" exclaimed Officer Winskye.

"What, what? Do you see Alex?" Brass asked hopeful.

"No, I was just noticing all those dog statues in that yard. Those people really love their dog statues. Some of them look so life like its scarey."

Brass's shoulders slumped dejected. He was hoping the officer had spotted the little boy.

"_Where could he be?"_ Brass wondered to himself.

The lightbulb went off in Brass's head.

"Wait, the crime scene." he said out loud.

"What about it?" the officer asked.

"Alex heard me talking to his mother, said so in his note, he must have heard me mention the park. He might be there already. Let's get to the scene." With that Brass accelerated the car and headed for the park.

"Boy that was too close." Alex sighed with relief as he crawled out of his hiding place.

"Good thing we're almost there." He stood up and listened carefully for any sirens.

Nothing.

"Come on Bruno, let's go to my friend Adam's house. He has a treehouse in his backyard. We can see the whole park and the other houses from there. I bet we'll find the house we're looking for from there."

_At the crime scene_

Warrick looked up as Brass's car screeched to a halt. He had been working the perimeter where Nick had been, while Catherine and Greg worked the inside of the house.

"Hey Brass, how'd Sara take the news?" he asked as Brass quickly approached.

"Not well as expected." Brass replied.

Warrick nodded, expecting as much.

"We've got another problem though" Brass continued on.

"What is it now?"

"Alex has taken off."

"What?! You've gotta be kidding me!!" Warrick yelled.

Catherine and Greg rushed from the house, having heard Warrick's yelling.

"What's going on out here?" Catherine asked.

"Alex has taken off on Sara." Warrick said, turning to Catherine and Greg.

"Shit!!" Greg exclaimed.

"Oh my god!!" Catherine yelled, "Jim what happened? Why'd he take off?"

"He overheard me telling Sara about Gil, he left a note in his room saying he was gonna go find him. I was hoping to catch him here someplace." Brass explained.

"I don't believe it!!", Catherine exclaimed, "He's only 5 yrs. old!!...This is just great. Not only do we gotta find Griss but we gotta find Alex now too."

"Hold on Cath. You guys focus on finding clues that'll lead us to Grissom. I'll continue looking for Alex but keep your eyes open just in case. I expect he's heading here." Brass stated as calmly as he could.

As they spoke they failed to notice a small boy and his dog duck down behind the stone wall that lined the park.

"What are they all doing here?" Alex asked Bruno. Bruno arched his ears as if to say "Like I'm supposed to answer that?"

"At least we know which house it is but how we gonna look for clues?" he wondered out loud.

"Come on Bruno, let's get to Adam's house. Maybe we'll spot something from the treehouse. We can set up headnickels there. Mommy will kill me if I don't bring daddy home."

_Back at the house_

"_I'm gonna kill that kid for scaring me half to death. Then I'm gonna ground him till he's forty!!"_ Sara thought to herself as she paced frantically around the living room, not caring how ridiculous her last thought just sounded.

Her mind had been running rampid since they found Alex's note.

"WAHHHH"

Megan's wail snapped Sara out of her thoughts.

"Hey baby girl, what's wrong?" Sara asked, trying to keep her voice calm for the baby, as she entered the nursery.

"Are you hungry?"

Sara picked Megan up and sat down in the rocker but the baby refused to nurse. Sara felt her diaper, "you're not wet or anything."

Then it struck her, even though she nursed Megan most of the time, Grissom always gave Megan a bottle around dinner and the baby had gotten used to the routine.

"I'm sorry baby girl but daddy can't give you a bottle tonight."

Sara took the baby to the kitchen to warm up a bottle, hoping she could get her eat. Sara's thoughts returned as she stood at the stove, cradling the crying baby.

"_What am I gonna do if they can't find Gil? What if they can't find Alex? How am I gonna tell Gil's mother all of this?"_

_PING_

As if on cue the yahoo instant messenger window popped up on the computer in the den, which was the first room off the hallway by the kitchen. Since the invention of instant messenger, Grissom and Sara had been communicating with Grissom's mother through I.M. instead of using a special phone designed for deaf people.

"_Oh perfect"_ Sara thought sarcastically.

**_TBC_**

A/N: Boy Grissom's mother has perfect timing doesn't she? And yeah I couldn't resist putting in evil ninjas in the story lol. You know how little boys imaginations are. They start out normal and then get out of hand. The little dog Bentley is named after a real dog named Bentley, same breed and age, that I watch sometimes and I just couldn't resist putting him into the story. I was gonna name Alex's friend after my new puppy Archie but changed my mind since there's already a labrat named Archie. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always I don't force reviews from my readers but I do appreciate them and hope you will leave one. I have one question though, would you like to have Grissom's mother come to town for emotional support? Or stay home and just be there by I.M. for moral support?

Neelloc12


	8. Internet Confession

Disclaimer: As usual I don't own Grissom(damn it YET again and for the next time) or Sara or anyone on CSI. I do not own Instant Messenger(or I'd be rich). I do however own the characters of Alex and Megan and the I.M. names in this story.

Rated T

A/N: Sorry for the delay but been busy with this and that, not to mention 3 family birthdays to celebrate(including my own). This chapter is a little shorter, I don't think by much, but I wanted to get a chapter out and not keep readers waiting any longer. As always this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. Hope you enjoy it. Now on with the story.

**Chapter 8**

Sara took the warmed bottle and tested it on her arm to make sure it wasn't too hot for Megan before offering it to the infant. Thankfully Megan accepted the bottle immediately and began to drink.

Sara began to pace back and forth in the kitchen.

"Oh my god, oh my god. How am I gonna tell your grandmother about your daddy and brother?" She asked, looking down at the baby, as if Megan was gonna have the perfect answer for her.

_***Ping***_ went the computer again as Grissom's mother hit the "buzz" alert button.

Sara took a deep breath.

"Might as well get this over with" She thought, as she headed for the computer.

She burped Megan and gently placed her in her carrier seat to sleep before sitting down in front of the computer screen. On the screen was written

_***Ping***_

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:**__ Hello everyone._

_***Ping***_

_**QueenBeeGrannyG: **__Is anyone there?_

Sara took a deep breath again as she began to type.

_**GrissomHive4.0:**__ Hello Joy, it's Sara._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:**__ Oh hello dear, I'm not interrupting dinner am I? I meant to talk sooner._

Sara looked at the clock, 6:25, she couldn't believe 3 hrs. had passed since Jim told her the news. It now meant Grissom had been missing for over 3 hrs.. Brass never did tell her what time the abduction happened so she had no idea of the exact length of time he'd been gone.

_**GrissomHive4.0: **__Oh you're not interrupting. Frankly I've had no appetite._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:**__ What's wrong? Something's wrong isn't there._

For the third time since she heard the second ping, she took yet another deep breath and began to type.

_**GrissomHive4.0:**__ Someone has abducted Gil from a crime scene._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:**__ WHAT?!! Who could do such a thing to my baby?!!_

_**GrissomHive4.0:**__ I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I've been so sick with worry, I haven't been able to think straight._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:**__ That's quite alright dear, just tell me what happened._

Sara typed as fast as she could as she told Joy everything that Brass had told her. Then she dropped the second bomb on her.

_**GrissomHive4.0: **__It gets worse._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG: **__Worse? Oh no, what else has happened?_

_**GrissomHive4.0: **__Alex has taken off to find Gil. I had sent him to his room so Jim and I could talk in private but he eavesdropped on us. He heard about Gil being abducted and took off with Bruno to find him. He left a note in his room._

Sara sucked in her breath as "QueenBeeGrannyG is typing a message" appeared at the bottom of the message box.

"_Oh no, here it comes. She's gonna blame me for Alex taking off and tell me I'm a rotten mother."_ Sara thought to herself.

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:**__Oh my god, you poor thing. You must be completely beside yourself._

Sara let out her breath with relief, knowing Joy wasn't blaming her.

_**GrissomHive4.0:**__ I thought you were gonna blame me and tell me I'm a lousy mother. _She confessed.

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:**__ Nonsense, you couldn't control what happened. None of its your fault. I'm not surprised about Alex, he's just like his father._

That last comment made her smile for a brief moment. He was like his father, always looking for answers and doing whatever needed to be done to find them. It was sometimes hard to believe he was only 5. The next comment shocked Sara.

_**QueenBeeGrannyG: **__I'll be on the next flight out._

_**GrissomHive4.0: **__Oh you don't have to do that._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:**__ Nonsense, you shouldn't go through this alone. Besides, that's my baby and grandson out there. I can't just sit here and wait for updates. I'm coming to Vegas._

With that Joy Grissom logged off.

Sara sighed as she gently picked up Megan in the carrier and headed for the living room. She figured it'd take at least 3 or 4 hrs. for Joy to get there since she'd need time to get to LAX and get a flight out if they even had one available immediately.

Sara placed the carrier down next to the couch, not wanting to let Megan out of her sight, then sat on the couch.

She spotted a picture of Grissom and Alex on the coffee table. It was taken last Halloween and the two were dressed up like a couple of bumblebees(Alex originally wanted to go as Winnie the Pooh, and Grissom as a jar of honey, but Grissom flat out refused to dress like a jar of sticky syrup).

Grissom stood with Alex in his arms, two huge smiles plastered on their faces, and antennae bobbing on their heads. Sara wiped away the tear that had landed on the glass of the frame. She wiped away another and another before clutching the picture to her chest, letting the tears she had been holding back all afternoon finally pour from her eyes. This was the first timeshe had finally let everything that happened sink in.

She laid down on the couch, still clutching the picture tightly to her chest. Within 5 mins. She had fallen asleep from exhaustion, Megan still sound asleep in her carrier.

**TBC**

A/N: Again sorry for the long delay between chapters. I was originally gonna go back to Alex during this chapter but decided to keep it focused on Sara. Thanks to SaraandGabriella for helping me come up with the I.M. names. GrissomHive4.0 is for each member of member of the family(4) and for Grissom's love of bugs and QueenBeeGrannyG for Grissom's mother cause since she's the "elder" Grissom she would be the "Queen" of the hive. Grandma Grissom's first name is after my favorite Aunt, Joy_. _I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always reviews are not required but I do appreciate them, love to get them, and hope you will leave me one.

~Neelloc12 :) ~


	9. Buzz Buzz

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, Grissom, yada yada yada.

A/N: I was planning on returning to the guys in chapter 9 but decided to hold off one more chapter so I could write a special chapter in honor of my friend, and fellow grissomandsaraforeverlove wiki member, ilovegsr for her birthday today. She loves smut, which I can't do, BUT I did write some innuendos in this chapter so I hope they will do and I hope I did ok with them. I also thought people could use a lighter chapter before returning to the drama. On top of that I also realized while writing this chapter I never pointed out what time of year it was. Its taking place in August of 08. Sawyer was convicted in may but sentenced in June and little Megan was born in July. Hope that helps clear things up if anyone was wondering or was confused about the time line and sorry for not mentioning it sooner. As always this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine.

Rated: T(but be warned of innuendos in this chapter)

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY ILOVEGSR!!!!**

**Chapter 9**

For the first time since before the announcement of Grissom's abduction, a smile spread across Sara's face as she began to dream of a happier time.

_**October 21, 2007**_

"Gil, trick or treating starts in 20 mins.. You need to get a move on." Sara announced as she barged into the bathroom, just as Grissom was stepping out of the shower.

"EEEEK" Grissom quietly yelped in a mocked high pitch voice, pretending to be shocked at the intrusion and covering himself up with his hands.

"Oh ha ha" Sara said smirking, "the little bumblebee wants to get going so you better get a move on. You only have 20....make that 15 mins. till it starts."

In the background _BUZZ BUZZ_ could be heard shouting as little Alex ran around the living room in a yellow sweatshirt and black sweatpants that he was gonna wear under his costume(Sara was waiting as long as possible to put the suit itself on him for fear he'd find something to spill all over himself before the guys left).

"Oh ok, just let me dry off here first and I'll get dressed. Now where...is...my...towel" he replied as he looked around the bathroom, pretending not to see the towel behind him on the towel bar.

"AH HA!! Here it is!!" he said as he grabbed Sara by the arm and pulled her tight against his wet body, wrapping his arms around her.

"GIL!!!!" Sara shrieked with laughter.

"What? I'm just drying myself off" he said with a smirk before kissing her.

"Gil you're wasting time. Now go get ready while I finish getting Alex ready, then I need to put on my costume for the trick or treaters."

"Really? What are you wearing?"

"Well since you two are going as bees, I'm dressing as a flower."

"Ooooo, maybe tonight after Alex is asleep we can...._pollinate_" Grissom said winking his eyebrows.

"GIL!!" Sara shrieked again with a fake shocked expression.

"Mommy Mommy!! Is it time to put my costume on?!!" Alex said as his voice could be heard fast approaching.

Grissom and Sara quickly parted and Grissom wrapped a towel around his waste just as Alex rushed into the bathroom.

"Yes Yes, let's go put it on." Sara said as she ushered the excited child out of the bathroom.

"Hey I have a better thought, I'll dress up as Gandalf and show you my _magic wand_ later" Grissom called after Sara.

"GILBERT!!" Sara's voice yelled from the hall.

Grissom chuckled as he walked into the bedroom to get dressed. He loved to get Sara going like that....and he wasn't done yet.

10 mins. later Sara stood where the hallway, living room, and kitchen met as Alex began again to pretend to fly around the living room like a bee. He now had on a fuzzy yellow and black striped, sleeveless body over his yellow shirt, and bobbing antennae on his head. Sara had on a green sweatsuit and a white daisy flower hat that wrapped around her head and attached under her chin.

"5 mins. Griss, you almost ready?"

"Ya know...." Grissom began as he exited the bedroom in his duplicate bee costume and headed back to the bathroom to run a brush through his hair, "maybe later I'll dress like a mechanic and let you check my...._dipstick_" saying the last part with only his head peaking out the doorway before vanishing inside.

"GIL!!!!"

As hard as Sara tried, she couldn't keep the smirk off her face, which only encouraged Grissom more.

"Or maybe Santa Claus....and I'll offer you a.... _candy cane_?" Grissom continued as he walked into the kitchen for a flashlight.

"Or maybe Jack, and you can climb my beanstalk" he stated as he walked into the living room.

By this point Sara was struggling not to laugh out loud, her face bright red.

"Alright, Alright enough already. Get going will ya?" Sara said as she playfully pushed Grissom toward the door.

"YAY!! TWICK OR TWEET!! TWICK OR TWEET!!" Yelled Alex as he opened the door and rushed outside.

"WHOA WHOA!!, HOLD UP THERE BUDDY. WAIT FOR ME!!" Grissom yelled.

"HAVE FUN BOYS!!" Sara hollered.

3 hrs. later Grissom carried in an exhausted little bumblebee.

"So did he have fun?" Sara asked.

"What do you think?" smiled Grissom as he held up a huge bag of candy in one hand, while holding onto Alex with the other.

Grissom carried Alex to his bedroom, and with Sara's help, was able to change the little boy into his pajamas without waking him. They each gave their son a kiss on the forehead before heading for the door.

"Sooo I believe you had made me an offer earlier? Something about _pollinating_ was it? Or was that a _wand_? A _candy cane_?" Sara whispered seductively.

"WhatEVER you want my dear" Grissom replied before sweeping Sara off her feet, causing Sara to squeal with delight, and carried her towards their bedroom.

"I AM JOY GRISSOM, I'M GIL'S MOTHER. NOW LET ME IN!! Grissom's mother yelled at Officer Laford.

Sara gazed groggily around the room as the commotion outside the house woke her from her sleep.

"Ma'am, under the current circumstances, I need to see some I.D. before I can let you enter the house" Officer Laford replied.

"I.D.?!!"

Just then Sara opened the door. "Its ok officer, this IS Gil's mother. You can let her pass."

"Yes Ma'am"

Joy followed Sara into the living room where Sara turned to face her. The two women silently stared at each other when suddenly the dam broke and the tears began to spill forth once more from Sara's eyes.

"Shhh Shhh, It's ok honey" Joy said as she wrapped Sara into a tight embrace, comforting her. "We'll find them."

_**TBC...**_

A/N: Sorry I had to end the chapter on a sad note but had to set it back up for the drama. Hope it brightened your day folks and I hope you enjoyed it ilovegsr. If the line about "magic wand" sounds familiar to anyone I borrowed the idea from Sidle77's story "Affliction". I thought of that idea while writing this chapter and just had to use it myself but put my little twist on it(basically just a different wizard then she used) so I give full credit to Sidle77 for that one idea and hope she doesn't mind my borrowing it. Next chapter I PROMISE we will get back to Alex and hopefully Grissom too(depending on how the chapter progresses). As always I appreciate reviews but don't require them(but it'd make me smile if you did hint hint lol).


	10. The Stakeout

Disclaimer: you know the drill.

Rated: T

A/N: OMG!! Can it be?!! ANOTHER chapter?!! Finally?!! Why yes it is folks. Sorry for the long delay between chapters but you know how life can be, always getting into the way. This chapter is longer then usual and I hope it was worth the wait, enjoy :) Oh yeah and as usual this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine.

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.

.

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_**Chapter 10**_

Sawyer returned later with the first aid supplies, Grissom leaning against the wall.

"Luckily for you I know a thing or two about first aid." he said as he placed the supplies on a stool. "Now don't think about trying any funny business here while I bandage your ankle."

Sawyer removed the chain from Grissom's injured ankle, then took a couple of splints and placed them on either side of his ankle.

"_I can take him, this is my shot."_ Grissom thought, despite Sawyer's warnings. He began to move his other foot to kick Sawyer but the man had anticipated as much. Before Grissom had barely lifted his foot, Sawyer took his fist and punched Grissom's broken ankle. Just hard enough to send Grissom screaming in pain.

"AHHHH!!" Grissom yelled, his head back against the wall with his eyes clenched tight.

"Tut tut my dear doctor."

"Quit calling me doctor." Grissom responded through gritted teeth.

"Fine...GRISSOM...I told you not to try anything."

Grissom glared at Sawyer through narrow slits as his ankle throbbed.

"Try that again and I'll break both your ankles. Ever seen the movie Misery?"

Grissom's eyes grew wide.

"I guess that means yes." Sawyer chuckled as he returned to splinting Grissom's ankle. After he finished he handed Grissom a glass of water and a couple pills. "Here, this will help with the pain."

Grissom eyed the pills suspiciously.

"Relax, I've already told you my plan. What would be the point of killing you? I wouldn't be able to tell you how things were going with MY family."

Grissom exhaled forcefully before downing the pills and water. It made his blood boil every time Sawyer referred to Grissom's family as HIS family.

"That's better." Sawyer said as he took the glass from Grissom. "Well I think I'll go for a little drive here shortly and see how MY family is doing." Again Grissom exhaled forcefully. "Then I'll drive by the scene to see how your precious team is coping."

Grissom breathed in and out heavily, clutching his fists tightly to his sides, wishing he had that glass back in his hand again. Sawyer smirked at the reaction he was getting out of Grissom.

"Now you be a good little boy while I'm gone." With that Sawyer turned and laughed as he left the room, locking the door behind him. As soon as the lock turned Grissom exploded,

"THEY'RE MY FAMILY YOU SON OF A BITCH!! MINE!!" he screamed, slamming his fist into the hard cement. He then glared at the chain now attached to his good ankle, wishing he could break it apart with his bare hands.

"_They'll find me"_ he thought as he fought to calm himself down, _"I know they will."_

Not long after, in the distance he could hear a door slam shut and the engine roar to life.

"Now let's see how my future bride is doing." Sawyer thought as he turned onto Holtshire Rd.. As he approached the house he could see a police car out front, the officer patrolling the property. He slowed the car down slightly but not too much. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself by driving too slow. He just wanted to peek in the window and see if he could see Sara.

He knew with Grissom missing the cops would be around for awhile, but once enough days had passed and they left, he would then start dropping by the house to visit with Sara and offer her comfort.

As he passed by the house he peeked through the living room window. On the couch he could see Sara with her arms clutching a photograph to her chest tightly, clearly crying.

"There there honey." Sawyer thought as he drove off, "soon enough I'll be comforting you. My arms wrapped tightly around you. I will help you forget about HIM and maybe someday we can expand our family." Sawyer smiled to himself as he turned the corner at the end of the street.

"Hey Adam....Adam!!" Alex whispered through the wooden fence, trying not to be too loud. Adam, who had been kicking around a soccer ball, paused and looked around for the source of the voice.

"Adam...over here...by the gate."

"Alex?"

Adam ran over to the gate and let Alex and Bruno in. "What are you doing here?"

"Not here, the treehouse, I'll explain there."

Bruno sit" Alex instructed the boxer on the platform at the end of a rope, "stay". Bruno sat patiently as he watched his young master and his friend climb up the rope ladder. When they reached the top, they both grabbed hold of the crank and turned it, raising the platform and bringing Bruno up to the treehouse.

"OK, what's up?" Adam asked once they got settled in the treehouse.

"Somebody has stolen my daddy."

"Really?"

"Yup, I heard my mommy and Gampa Jim talking about it. Daddy always said I was the man of the house when he wasn't there. Its up to me to find him and I need your help."

"How?"

"I can't go to the crime place cause my aunt and uncles are there, other people too, and they'll see me. I need to look from your teahouse and see if I can spot any clues from here. Will you help me?"

"Sure, but shouldn't you call your mommy and tell her you are here so she don't worry?" Adam asked his best friend.

"I can't, she'll make me come home. You gotta promise not to tell her I'm here."

"I promise."

"Pinkie promise" Alex said as he held out his left pinkie.

"Pinkie promise" Adam repeated as they hooked pinkies and shook on it, "so what do we do?"

"We gotta look for anything suspi...saspi...spishus...stuff that looks funny." Alex replied as he looked through the telescope at the window facing the park.

"You see that house over there with the cops?" Alex asked.

"Yeah"

"That's where the evil man took my daddy from. He's got him back at his evil lair with hundreds, no thousands of ninjas guarding it."

"WOW" replied Adam in amazement.

"Yeah and we gotta find out where it is."

Alex continued to look around with the telescope while Adam looked with his naked eye. They boys had been looking for almost an hour when Adam spoke.

"Hey Alex look" Adam pointed towards the street to the right side of the park.

"Where?"

"Over there, the red truck with the cover on the back. He's been there for awhile and the guy hasn't gotten out at all."

"Good eye Adam. I've seen other cars come by but they were all kids with their mommies and daddies. Did you see when he got here?"

"I can't read time yet, I don't know but its been a long time."

"We better watch him" Alex stated, Adam nodding in agreement.

**5 mins. later**

"HEY ADAM!! YOU UP THERE?!!" Yelled Andrew, Adam's 12 yr. old brother.

"YEAH!!"

"COME ON DOWN!! DAD JUST GOT HOME AND MOM SAYS ITS TIME TO EAT!!"

"COMING!!" Adam hollered back. "I'll try to bring ya back some food."

"Thanks, but I got some food in my backpack. Could you bring something for Bruno? I just got peanut budda and bread. I didn't have time to grab his food."

"Sure, be back soon."

"Thanks."

Adam climbed down the ladder as Alex went back to surveying the area, paying close attention now to the mysterious man in the red truck.

"Go wash your hands." Adam's mother ordered as he entered the back door.

"Yes mommy....what's for dinner?"

"Chicken nuggets and fries."

"Yum."

Five mins. later the family sat down at the table to eat.

"John honey, do you know what's goin on by the park? There's been cops and CSI's on the other side all day." Irene asked her husband.

"I was just about to say something about that." he replied, "You won't believe what I heard when I got back to the post office this afternoon."

Adam and Andrew's father worked as a carrier for the post office.

"What?" she asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"Well I was talking to Richard, who delivers over on that side of the park, and he says Gil Grissom was abducted from a crime scene over there this afternoon."

_**Clang!!**_

The fork hit the plate as Irene covered her mouth in shock.

"Oh my god!! Poor Sara!! She must be beside herself with worry. Who would do such a thing? I must call her"

As the parents spoke, and the children listened, no one noticed Adam taking some of his nuggets and wrapping them in his napkin before sticking them in his pocket. As soon as dinner was finished he rushed back to the teahouse.

"Anything new?" Adam asked as he pulled himself up into the teahouse before taking out the nuggets and feeding them to Bruno.

"Not much. That truck finally left. We better keep an eye out for him. See if he comes back."

"Hey Adam, you rushed off before mom could ask if you wanted some dess...hey, what's he doing here?" Andrew asked as he climbed in. The boys looked at each other for a moment.

"Andrew you GOTTA promise not to tell mommy and daddy."

"Tell them what?"

Together the boys explained about Alex's mission to find his daddy.

"So PLEASE don't tell them ok? They'll call his mommy and she'll make him go home." Adam begged with pleading eyes to his big brother.

"Alright alright, I won't tell them."

"Thanks Andrew."

"I'll bring him my sleeping bag to use tonight. And I'll help sneak Bruno out for a potty break later."

"Thanks Andrew" Alex said with a grateful smile.

**7:30 p.m.**

"ADAM!! TIME FOR BED!!" Irene yelled up to her son.

"Can I sleep here tonight? Please?" Adam asked, sticking his head over the edge.

"On a school night?"

"Puh-weeze? Its nice out." The little boy pouted his lower lip for extra effect. His mother shook her head at the ground as she chuckled.

"Oh alright, but I better not hear any complaining when its time to get up."

"Thanks mommy" he replied as he duck back in.

**10 p.m.**

"Oh my god John, I just got off the phone with Sara Grissom" Irene began as her husband exited the bathroom off of their bedroom.

"What is it?" he asked as he climbed into bed.

"Alex is missing too. He left a note and took off with the dog to find Gil."

"What?"

"Her mother-in-law is there with her now. I can't even begin to imagine what she's going through right now. I'd be enough of a wreck with you missing, but either or both of the boys too?"

"Hopefully they'll find them both soon. We'll just have to keep our hopes up." John said before kissing his wife on the cheek and clicking off the lights. Irene remained sitting up in bed for another moment, thinking of Sara, before finally sliding under the covers and closing her eyes in an attempt to get some sleep.

Andrew stared up at the ceiling as he laid in bed, having heard his parents conversation next door.

Alex and Andrew took turns sleeping and watching for the mysterious red truck during the night.

**Next morning**

"I'll keep an eye out while you're at school ok?" Alex said.

"OK, I'll be back as soon as I can to help."

"COME ON ADAM, LETS GO!!" Andrew yelled.

"COMING!!"

"I'll pick ya up after school." Andrew said outside the elementary school, the middle school where Andrew attended was on the next block.

"OK, bye Andrew." Adam said before turning towards the school. As he got to the doors he turned to wave at Andrew when he noticed him going down another street.

"_Where's he going? The middle school isn't that way? That's the way to Ale..."_ Adam's eyes grew wide, _"He wouldn't!!...he promised he wouldn't!!..."_ Adam sprinted out the door and back towards home.

Sara and Joy puttered around the kitchen fixing breakfast, dark circles under both of their eyes. Neither woman had gotten much sleep worrying about Gil and Alex.

"Can I help you young man?" they heard Office Laford outside ask.

"I need to speak to Mrs. Grissom, it's important."

Sara and Joy looked at each other before rushing to the door, Sara yanking the door open to see the young boy.

"Andrew?"

Andrew turned from the officer to look at Sara.

"Mrs. Grissom....I know where Alex is."

_**TBC...**_

A/N: Uh Oh!! Looks like somebody broke their promise. Do you think he did the right thing in going back on his promise? What do you think will happen next? Do you think Sawyer is getting pretty cocky, so certain that he'll make Grissom's family his own? I'd like to thank gsrgirl4eva for letting me use her spelling idea for one of Alex's attempts at the word "suspicious". Also the street name(a street I travel on often) is pronounce (Holt-shear). I hope this chapter was worth the long wait. I apologize again for the delay. Reviews are greatly appreciated.

~Neelloc12~


	11. Alex to the rescue?

Disclaimer: Same old, same old. Grissom still not mine(damn it), if he was I'd hog him to myself and only share with certain individuals for a small fee :).

Rated: T

A/N: Thank you to those who have been reading and reviewing. This chapter is slightly longer then the last(although when I first started writing it I thought it'd only be half as long. Joke's on me I guess lol). As always this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. I hope you enjoy it and I appreciate all reviews and hope you will leave me one.

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_**Chapter 11**_

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After Adam and Andrew left for school Alex resumed his post at the telescope surveying the crime scene, park, and surrounding streets.

"I wonder if that red truck will come back Bruno?"

Bruno cocked his head and lifted his ears in reply.

10 mins. later Alex's question was answered as the red truck from yesterday pulled up to the same place it parked before.

"There he is Bruno!! The man in the truck is back."

Again Bruno cocked his head before standing up and going to the window, wondering what his little master was getting excited about.

"I bet ya he knows where daddy is Bruno, but how do we follow him?"

Adam ran as fast as he could back to his house. He knew it was only a matter of time before Alex's mommy either called his house or showed up in person. He hoped it was his second guess so it would give them more time to get Alex and Bruno out of the treehouse.

Adam ran around to the backyard fence. Luckily there was a gate on either side of the fence so he didn't need to run in front of the house to get to the gate in case his mother was in the front of the house where she could see him go by.

When he got to the gate he peeked through a gap in the boards at the house. Normally his mother left for work when the boys left for school but today was her day off. He could see his mother in the kitchen window doing the dishes.

"_How am I gonna get up the tree? She'll see me from there."_

_**Briiinnng!! Briiinnng!!**_

"_No No No!! It can't be his mommy already?!!"_

"Hello?"

Adam held his breath as his mother answered the phone.

"Oh Hi Lori, how are you?"

Adam let out a sigh of relief, it was only his aunt.

He quickly lifted the latch on the gate, closed it behind him, ran to the tree, and climbed the rope ladder as fast as he could.

"Alex!! Alex!!" he exclaimed breathlessly as he reached the platform.

"Adam? What are you doing back here?"

"I turned to wave to Andrew before I went in the school and I saw him going down the street that goes to your street. I think he's gonna tell your mommy."

"What? I thought he promised."

"Me too, but I guess he lied. We need to get you and Bruno out of here before your mommy shows up." Adam replied.

"The red truck is back. Maybe we can hide on the playground and watch him from there. Let's go." Alex said as they headed for the ladder.

They peeked over the edge but saw no sign of Adam's mother.

"Mommy must still be on the phone with Aunt Lori. Quick, we gotta get Bruno down."

Alex lead Bruno onto the platform.

"Sit...Stay" he ordered the canine.

Together the boys turned the crank and lowered the dog safely to the ground before climbing down the rope ladder quickly. Adam looked into the window just as Alex stepped on the ground.

"Mom just got off the phone, quick..run"

The boys ran to the other gate and rushed out of the yard.

**Meanwhile at the Grissom house**

"What?! Where is he?!" shouted Sara.

"He's at my house. He and Adam were in the treehouse all night spying on the park and crime scene. They were trying to look for clues on where Mr. Grissom was." the young boy replied.

"I've gotta call Irene." Sara said as she rushed to the phone.

_**BEEP BEEP BEEP**_

"Damn it, line's busy." Sara exclaimed as she hung up the phone, "Joy could you stay here and watch Megan?"

"Certainly dear, you go get that grandson of mine back."

"Come on Andrew, let's go." Sara ordered as she grabbed her keys and headed for her car.

_**Back at the park**_

Alex, Adam, and Bruno climbed into a tube tower in the middle of the park, not far from the red truck.

"Hey he's gone, where did the man go?" Alex wondered aloud as they looked at the empty truck.

"Hey, this is our chance, come on." Alex said as he descended the tower.

_**Moments earlier**_

"Anyword on Alex's whereabouts?" Brass asked into his walkie talkie, having just picked up a coffee from a nearby shop and now walking back to the scene.

"Nothing yet sir." the officer replied on the other end.

"I want my grandson found yesterday, is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

"_What?! Brass?! Grandson?!"_ Sawyer exclaimed to himself as he watched Brass approach the scene of Grissom's abduction.

"Must be Sara's father. Not old enough to be Grissom's. Son of a....I need a coffee."

Sawyer climbed out of the truck and headed for the same coffee shop Brass came from. He remembered Brass was the arresting officer at the jewelry store and wondered what he was gonna do about this new found information.

_**Present time**_

"What are we gonna do?" Adam asked as they snuck up behind the truck.

"Me and Bruno will hide in the back of the truck, then he'll take us to my daddy."

"Are you sure he knows where your daddy is?"

"No, but he looks sneaky. He's been sitting here and watchin."

Alex reached for the tailgate handle but couldn't quite reach it.

"Its too high." Alex stated.

Adam kept an eye out for anyone coming while Alex thought.

"Wait, I know."

Luckily for them the truck was parked right by a fire hydrant. Alex climbed onto the hydrant, reached over to the slightly open window of the truck cover, and pulled himself onto the bumper of the truck. He opened up the window some more and climbed in. He looked around the back for something to hide under. There were some pieces of wood, a toolbox, and other junk but what caught his eye was a large blue tarp.

"_Perfect"_ he thought.

"OK Bruno, jump." he said as he pushed the window as far as he could to give Bruno room to enter. The boxer leapt from the ground but couldn't reach the window.

"Come on boy, hurry. You can do it." encouraged Alex. Bruno backed up, ran towards the truck, and leapt as high as he could. His front paws grasped onto the tailgate as his hindlegs clawed desperately at the back of the truck, trying to get traction to push himself up. Seconds later Bruno lost his grasp and dropped to the ground, whining with disappointment.

"Sorry Bruno, guess you'll have to stay here."

_WHINE_

"Alex, I think I see someone coming."

"Quick, take Bruno and hide. I'll find my daddy and come for Bruno later."

"OK, come on Bruno." Adam said as he ran across the street.

_WHINE_

Bruno looked between Alex and Adam running for the nearest tree in the park, hiding behind it.

"Bruno Go!!" ordered Alex.

Bruno reluctantly obeyed and ran towards Adam's hiding spot while Alex closed the truck cover window, just before Sawyer came into view of his truck, and hiding under the tarp.

Sawyer climbed into the truck, muttering to himself about Brass, started the engine, and drove off away from the scene.

"WOOF WOOF"

Bruno barked as he ran out from behind the tree and after the truck.

"BRUNO COME BACK!!" Adam yelled after the dog but the canine didn't listen. He couldn't let his little master out of his sight.

Bruno ran as hard as he could, determined to keep the truck in sight. A couple times he nearly got hit by a car as he darted through intersections. Eventually the truck pulled into a two story house with a porch around the front and right side of it. A row of six feet tall bushes lined the front yard while two rows of eight foot tall bushes lined the rest of the property like a wall surrounding a fortress to keep prying eyes from peering in.

Bruno peeked through the bushes as he watched the tall man exit the truck, still muttering to himself with an angry look on his face, and head into the house. Slamming the door behind him.

Bruno trotted over to the truck and began sniffing anxiously for his little master's scent.

"WOOF"

"Bruno?" Alex asked as he opened the truck cover's window and peeked down.

"WOOF"

"Shhh Bruno. The man might hear you....I thought I told you to stay put?" Alex asked as he climbed out the window and carefully dropped to the ground where Bruno stood panting happily and wagging his tail.

"OK Bruno, let's look for daddy."

Alex peeked around the side of the truck for any sign of the man....nothing.

He then thought about where to look first. This was not what he expected to find. Where was the big fortress? Where were all the evil henchmen? The ninjas? After a moment he decided to look in all the basement windows first, then he would sneak onto the porch to look in the first floor windows. If no sign of his dad was found then he would just go from there when he got to it.

He crouched down low and headed for the right side of the house, Bruno hot on his heels and also crouching low, imitating his owner. Alex peeked in the first window he came too. Inside was a room, not very big, cluttered with boxes and other junk but no sign of Grissom.

The next window was boarded up so he went around back to a third window. It was a second room, same size as the first room, also cluttered with boxes and miscellaneous items. Again no sign of his father.

Alex crawled on his hands and knees to the next basement window at the back of the house. As with the second window, this one was also boarded up. He then crawled around to the side of the house where he found another window.

Inside he saw a room larger then the first two. It was mostly empty except for a few items. On the opposite wall was a small table and stool, a toilet sat in the corner to the left of it. Against the left wall, near the corner, he could see a small bed and a man's body from the waist down lying on it.

The man's left ankle was wrapped up with what appeared to be two pieces of flat wood, a chain attached to his right ankle. As hard as he tried he could not see the upper half of the man's body.

Just as he thought about calling out to the man to see if it was his daddy, he heard the lock of a door turn and then a door slamming against the wall as it was shoved open. The man on the bed startled from the noise and bolted up.

As he carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed, his head came into Alex's view.

"_DADDY!!"_ he thought excitedly.

"BRASS?!! BRASS?!!" the tall man shouted as he stormed into the room.

"_What is he ranting about now?"_ thought Grissom.

"Brass is the grandfather?!!" Sawyer yelled.

"What? You mean there's actually something about my family you DON'T know?" replied Grissom.

In a flash Sawyer's right fist connected with Grissom's face, sending him sprawling to the floor.

Alex froze with shock. He had never seen anyone strike his father before, let alone raise a finger to him.

"Is he Sara's father? Why wasn't it in her file?"

"Cause he's not. He's a close friend. Like a member of the family. Just like everyone on my team." Grissom answered as he rubbed his face.

"What if he checks my record? Or remembers me from the jewelry heist? What if he convinces Sara not to trust me?" Sawyer continued to yell.

"Well I guess there's a little hitch in your plan then. Things not running so smoothly after all are they." Grissom smirked up at the fuming man.

"Oh you think this is funny do ya?"

If Sawyer looked angry before, his blood was downright boiling now.

"Well let's see how funny you think this is." exclaimed Sawyer as his right foot connected with Grissom's stomach.

"OOMPH"

"Or this" again he struck with his foot, this time in the ribs.

"Or how bout this?"

Sawyer repeatedly kicked Grissom in the stomach, a few kicks landing on the ribs.

"I'll teach you to laugh at me" Sawyer said as he raised his foot over Grissom's head.

"STOP!! STOP IT!! STOP HITTING MY DADDY!!" Alex shouted, finally shaking himself from his shocked state.

Sawyer's foot froze just above Grissom's head.

"Daddy?", Sawyer looked up at the window where the little boy crouched.

"Alex?" Grissom gasped as he attempted to look up at his son, his vision seeing double and a little blurred.

"Well well well, little man come to rescue daddy huh?" Sawyer said just before he sprinted towards the basement door.

"Alex run, get help." Grissom gasped out weakly.

"Daddy?"

"ALEX RUN!!" Grissom yelled as loud as he could with his last bit of strength before passing out.

"BRUNO RUN!!" Alex yelled as he stood and turned to run.

He barely made it four feet before he felt his shirt grabbed from behind and his body lifted off the ground.

"LET ME GO!! LET ME GO!!" Alex shouted as he twisted in the air.

"Well this definitely puts a wrench in the works but I'll figure something out." stated Sawyer as he looked at the small boy hanging from his hand.

"GRRRRR"

Sawyer looked at the source of the sound and spotted the boxer. All four legs spread, fur on his back raised, teeth baring wide as he glared at the man holding Alex in the air.

"I see we brought some help with us huh?" Sawyer chuckled.

"You know I've never liked dogs, in fact I hate them." Sawyer stated as he pulled a gun from his left pocket and took aim at the dog.

"NO!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!" Alex screamed, kicking his legs in the air as hard as he could.

_**BANG!!**_

The bullet hit the dirt just to the left of Bruno's right front paw, Alex's flailing knocking off Sawyer's aim.

"BRUNO RUN!! GET GAMPA!!" Alex screamed.

_**BANG!!**_

The second shot hit the dirt in front of the boxer as Bruno turned, reluctantly obeying his little master for the second time that day.

"GO BRUNO GO!!"

"SHUT UP YOU LITTLE BRAT!!" Sawyer yelled as he took aim again at the dog's retreating form as Bruno ran through the tall bushes.

_**BANG!!**_

"YELP!!"

"BRUNO!!"

.

_**TBC...**_

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A/N: Oh how could I do such a thing huh? Leave ya with a cliffhanger? Well I couldn't make it a smooth ride to the end now could I? I hope you enjoyed it and all reviews are greatly appreciated, thanks.

~Neelloc12~


	12. Man's best friend

Disclaimer: You know the deal. Like everyone else I do not own Grissom(and sadly never will *sigh*) or anybody else on the show, not even Bruno.

Rated: T

A/N: Thank you to those who took the time to leave me a review for the last chapter. I know I was cruel to leave you all with a cliffhanger like that and for having poor Bruno shot. But don't worry, your wait is now over. Hope you enjoy the chapter, its my longest yet(I keep thinking the next will be shorter then the previous but they keep turning out the opposite :) lol). As always this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are still mine. Now, on with our story.

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**Chapter 12**

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Alex continued to kick and scream as Sawyer carried him up the front steps to the house.

"Let me go!! Bruno!!", tears streaming down his face.

"I told you to shut up!!" Sawyer yelled at him.

Sawyer carried him down a flight of stairs to the basement. Taking the keys attached to his belt, he unlocked the door and opened it.

"Get in there" he ordered as he shoved Alex into the dimly lit room.

"You know I would have been a great father to you. I would have played catch with you, taken you to sports games, taken you and your friends to the park, to amusement parks, everywhere."

Alex just stared at the man in front of him.

"You know its not too late Alex"

"_How does he know my name?"_

"I can still be your daddy. We can have lots of fun together....you..me..your mom and little sister.

"NO!!" Alex yelled in a moment of bravery, "You're not my daddy. You will never be my daddy. I'd rather stay in here forever."

"That can be arranged" stated Sawyer calmly before he turned and left, slamming the door behind him and locking it.

Alex stared at the door for a moment, tears once again began streaming down his face as his body quietly shook with fear. To say he was scared was an understatement. He was downright terrified. This was not how it was supposed to happen. This wasn't how he'd seen it done on tv. He was supposed to go out, find the evil man's secret hideout, defeat the hundreds of ninjas with the help of his trusted canine companion, rescue his daddy, and be home in time for Spongebob.

"_Wait...daddy"_

The thought of his daddy brought him out of his thoughts. He scanned the room and spotted his father's unconscious body still on the floor by the bed.

"DADDY!!"

Alex got up and ran over to Grissom.

"DADDY!!...DADDY WAKE UP!!" Alex cried as he shook Grissom's body.

"DADDY WAKE UP!!" he cried again but still Grissom did not stir.

A moment later Sawyer returned, once again carrying medical supplies. Alex turned around, still kneeling on the ground, and spread his arms out wide.

"You leave my daddy alone." he ordered.

"Relax, I'm just gonna check his wounds." answered Sawyer as he approached Alex and Grissom. Alex slowly crawled over by his father's head, keeping a close eye on the tall man as he did so.

Sawyer lifted up Grissom's shirt and jacket to examine the result of his rage. Alex gasped when he saw the site. Huge angry looking purple bruises covered his stomach and ribs. Sawyer gently pressed down on some ribs causing Grissom to groan lightly. Both Alex and Sawyer looked at his face but Grissom's eyes remained closed.

"Looks like I might have cracked a couple" Sawyer chuckled.

Alex glared at him. He didn't see what was so funny about his daddy being hurt.

"Hey, he brought this on himself" Sawyer stated as he began to bandage the side of Grissom's body, "if he hadn't mocked me, I wouldn't of had to punish him."

Alex said nothing as he watched the man work. A moment later Sawyer was finished. He lifted Grissom off the floor and placed him on the bed. Sawyer may have been a tall thin man but he was strong. He then took the supplies and silently headed for the door.

"Ya know Alex" he said as he paused at the door, turning to face Alex, "you should really think about letting me be your dad. You, your mother, your sister, and I could all be very happy together....and Alex Sawyer has a nice ring to it too."

"My name is Alexander James Grissom" he answered firmly, still sitting on the floor.

"But I'll be there for you more then he ever has or could be. I'll be there to tuck you in at night, I'll attend every activity you do, I'll help you with your homework. What do you say?"

"My name is Alexander James Grissom" Alex repeated again, just as firmly.

"Fine, be that way. Some day you'll change your mind and when you do I'll be waiting." Sawyer finished before leaving the room, once again locking the door behind him.

Alex glanced at his father sleeping on the bed. Suddenly he felt a big yawn overtake him. He didn't get much sleep while on his stakeout the night before and it was finally catching up to him.

He noticed there was one blanket at the foot of the bed. He took the blanket and covered his dad up to his waist with it, before crawling onto the bed beside him, then covering them both the rest of the way. He then reached under the blanket for Grissom's left arm and pulled it around his body like a second blanket, before closing his eyes and allowing sleep to overcome him.

.

**Meanwhile on the streets....**

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His shoulder was throbbing, blood dripping from the wound where the bullet sat embedded, but Bruno barely noticed it as he hobbled as fast as he could through the streets with his left front leg held up in the air.

He paid no attention to his surroundings other then the route back to the house by the park where he knew members of his "family" were at, particularly Brass whom Alex had said to fetch. He darted through the intersection as cars swerved to miss him.

SCREEEECH!! CRASH!! CRASH!!

Bruno never looked back to see the six car pileup he left in his wake. He wasn't sure how far he had followed the truck earlier but he had a feeling he was close.

.

**Crime Scene**

.

"I can't believe we've been at this all day and night and still no clues as to who took Grissom or where he is." moaned Greg in frustration, "every fingerprint, every strand of hair, every blood drop has belonged to those two morons from Griss and Nick's case.

Warrick and Catherine were equally frustrated at the lack of results they were getting from their search. Over and over they combed the scene inside and out, each checking every room and the perimeter in case the others missed something. Other then the signs of a struggle they found in the living room earlier, nothing was found. Not one fingerprint or skin tag, nothing.

They knew something would turn up if they stayed focused. They were well into their third shift, having only reluctantly taken turns going home to catch a quick nap to re-energize before returning to work.

"Has Nick found anything in Griss's old cases?" asked Brass as he returned to the scene. He had been continuing his search for Alex. His results the same as the team's.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" answered Warrick as he saw Nick pull up to the scene.

"Hey guys!!" Hollered Nick as he hopped out of his denali, holding some folders. He had been looking through folder after folder, looking for even the slightest clue.

"Find anything Nicky?" asked Brass.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But its better then nothing." he replied as he opened each folder and spread them on the hood of the SUV.

"I found three cases with suspects who have been released from jail in the last year who may be holding a grudge against Griss, all three living in Vegas. Suspect #1 is a Tim Cantrell. DWI, vehicular manslaughter. Arresting officer was you Jim. He claims a rabbit ran in front of him. Problem was witnesses in their homes saw him driving on and off the sidewalk. Luckily it was a quiet street and not the strip, could've been a lot worse."

Brass couldn't help but chuckle.

"I remember this guy now. He wanted us to bring the rabbit in for questioning."

"Well he was pretty upset at Griss. Said he got it all wrong." Nick replied.

"Who else we got Nicky?" asked Warrick.

"Well suspect #2 is a Louis Levritt, simple B&E but he claims Grissom screwed up, got the wrong man. Too bad all the stolen property was found at his house and more importantly his fingerprints found all over the victim's house.

"We always seem to get the real winners blaming us don't we?" asked Warrick.

"And finally suspect #3" Nick continued, "an Alan Sawyer, jewelry heist gone bad. Had two of his buddies workin with him. Shooting involved. One of his buddies, the supposed ring leader, was killed. Grissom was a customer in the store at the time. Sawyer stabbed him. Claims it was an accident. Said he tripped. Said at his trial that Grissom knew it and to just ask him."

"Griss wasn't at the trial? How come?" asked Greg.

Nick scanned the file.

"Says here witness Gil Grissom unable to attend trial due to wife in hospital giving birth. Lab director Conrad Ecklie submitted report on his behalf, claiming Sawyer came at him. Plus they had video tape evidence. Judge felt sufficient evidence for a conviction." Nick finished.

"OK, here's what we're gonna do. Nick, you check out contestant #1"

"You got it"

"Cath, you and Greg get contestant #2 while Warrick and I check out contestant #...."

"Oh my god" Greg suddenly exclaimed pointing towards the street, "It's Bruno....and he's bleeding"

Everyone looked where Greg was pointing and saw the boxer hobbling across the street, blood trickling down his left front leg as he held it up in the air. Bruno paused in the middle of the street as he saw them running towards him and began to bark.

"WOOF!! WOOF!!"

"Hey buddy, what happened? Where's Alex?" Brass asked as Catherine examined the dog's wound.

*WHINE*

"Jim, he's been shot." Catherine said.

"Where's Alex Bruno? Is he ok?" asked Brass.

"WOOF!! WOOF!!" Bruno replied as he turned around, as if to say follow me. He only made it a few steps before his legs wobbled and gave out.

"Whoa whoa, easy buddy." Brass said as Bruno struggled to get up. He placed his hands on the dog and encouraged him to lay down.

"Its ok buddy, I know you want to lead us to him. You relax. We'll find him...

Officer Winskye!!"

"Yes sir" replied the officer as he rushed over to the group.

"Go with Mr. Sanders here and rush this dog to the vet."

"Yes sir"

"Come on Bruno buddy. Lets get you fixed up." Greg said as he gently lifted Bruno and followed the officer to the cruiser."

"Cath, you call Sara and fill her in on what's going on. Nick, Warrick, and I will find out where Bruno's been. Hopefully we'll find Alex."

"I'm on it" replied Cath as she got out her cell and dialed Gil and Sara's house.

"OK guys, suggestions?" Brass asked Nick and Warrick.

"Well....Griss always says to follow the evidence. I say that's what we do." Nick replied, pointing at the blood drops on the street.

"Lets go then" Warrick said and the three men began to follow the trail of blood drops.

BRIIIINNG!! BRIIIINNG!! BRIIIINNG!!

"Grissom residence, Officer Laford speaking."

Since Joy couldn't hear, Officer Laford had been keeping an eye on the phone between his patrols around the property.

"This is CSI Willows, I need to speak to Sara"

"She's not here ma'am. Some kid showed up saying he knew where Alex was and took off."

"OK thanks. I'll call her cell."

She pulled up Sara's cell number on her phone. She hoped they had Alex with them as she listened to the rings.

"_Hello?"_

"Sara, its Catherine. Is Alex with you?"

"_No, his friend Adam's brother showed up and said Alex was at his house. But when we got here he and Adam were gone. Adam came back but said Alex climbed into the back of a red truck and Bruno chased after it. Why? What's happened?"_

"I'll explain in person, what's the address"

Sara rattled off the address.

"Great, be there in 2 minutes." Cath hung up and rushed across the park. True to her word she arrived at the house 2 mins. later and knocked on the door.

Sara opened the door and let Catherine in. Irene stood in front of a chair in the living room. After getting all the info they could from the boys Irene had sent them on back to school, promising them each punishment when they got home. Andrew complained but since he didn't come to her right away like he should have, he was still being punished.

"Alright Catherine spill it, what's goin on?" demanded Sara s the three women sat down.

"Well, we may be close to finding Alex and Gil"

"Really?"

Sara was almost afraid to get her hopes up after already being disappointed once that morning.

"Nick found three possible suspects who'd been released from prison in the last year, all living in Vegas. We were about to split up and check them out when Bruno came hobbling up to the crime scene."

"Hobbling?"

"Someone shot him Sara, in the left shoulder. Greg is taking him to the vet now."

Both women gasped at Catherine's news, covering their mouths with their hands in shock.

"I gotta go help the guys." Sara stated a moment later as she stood up.

"No Sara, you can't." Catherine began as she got up and blocked Sara's path, "You're too emotionally involved with the situation. Let the guys handle it."

Catherine, someone out there could have my son right now, they may have Gil too." Sara tried to get around Catherine but she continued to block Sara's path.

"No Sara, you have to stay here. We don't know how dangerous it could be out there. Gil wouldn't want you out there. Plus you've got another child at home to think about."

Sara reluctantly nodded her head in agreement, tears filling her eyes. Catherine pulled her into her arms as the tears began to fall. Would this nightmare ever end?

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**Meanwhile at Sawyer's House....**

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Grissom groaned softly as he began to stir. He could feel a blanket or something covering his body. He could also feel a weight pressing lightly against his chest. He opened his eyes and blinked repeatedly, letting his eyes come into focus.

He gasped quietly when he realized what was leaning against him.

Alex....sound asleep.

As gently as he could he checked his son for injuries. Thankfully there didn't appear to be any.

"Don't worry little bug" Grissom whispered as he gently stroked Alex's hair, "I won't let him hurt you."

He pulled Alex tighter against his body, ignoring the initial pain the pressure caused, praying at least Bruno was able to get away and get help.

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**Back on the streets....**

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The guys had been following the trail of blood drops for 10 mins. now, getting more and more hopeful the trail would lead them to Alex.

"Hey, you think Bruno had something to do with this?" Warrick chuckled lightly as they got to the intersection where the last two cars from the pile up were being towed away. Before long the trail lead them to a house with tall bushes surrounding it.

"This looks like the place where Bruno was shot. Look at the blood splatter on the ground." Warrick observed.

"Does the address match one of the suspects Nick?" Brass asked.

Nick, who had brought along the folders, checked through them. A small smile formed on his face.

"Why yes it does Jim. This house belongs to a one Alan Sawyer."

"Alright, I'm calling in backup. When it gets here I want you two to stay down behind the cruisers. We don't know what this nut is capable of."

"Got it" Nick and Warrick replied.

Three cruisers arrived a short time later. One of the officers handed Brass a bullhorn as everyone gathered behind the cruisers.

"ALAN SAWYER, THIS IS CAPT. JAMES BRASS OF THE LVPD. COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP. WE KNOW YOU HAVE THE BOY. GIVE YOURSELF UP NOW."

He knew it was a gamble assuming Alex was there but he figured it was a safe bet cause of Bruno. He just knew Grissom had to be there too but decided to play dumb with Sawyer.

"What the hell?" Sawyer wondered out loud as he heard Brass's voice outside. He got up from his chair and peeked out through the curtains.

"Son of a...." he muttered as he spotted the cruisers and the people behind them.

"DON'T MAKE THIS ANYMORE DIFFICULT FOR YOURSELF SAWYER. JUST COME OUT QUIETLY" Brass yelled.

"NO NO NO NO" he muttered as he began pacing. This couldn't be happening. How could things be falling apart on him. He had planned so carefully for months. He paused and took a deep breath.

There was only one thing he could think of to do. Moments later he opened the door and yelled out at his unwelcomed visitors.

"GET OFF MY PROPERTY!! NOW!!"

"COME ON SAWYER. WE KNOW YOU HAVE THE BOY. LET HIM GO AND GIVE YOURSELF UP!!" Brass yelled.

"THAT'S NOT ALL I'VE GOT" he hollered back.

"Move" he ordered.

Brass, Nick, and Warrick all sucked in their breathes as they watched Grissom limp out the door in front of Sawyer, a gun held to his temple.

"TAKE ONE STEP TOWARDS THIS HOUSE AND BUGMAN HERE GOES BYE BYE"

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**TBC....**

A/N1: I KNOW, how COULD I leave you with ANOTHER cliffhanger? And see Bruno will be alright. He did what he had to do to get help. He wasn't about to let a little ole bullet stop him. Looks like Sawyer didn't plan for every possibility, like a 5yr. old boy determined to find his daddy and their faithful dog huh? There are multiple connections between William Petersen and the names of the first 2 suspects, can you figure out what those were? I will tell you the first suspect's connection is last name only, while the 2nd suspect has 2 connections to Billy. Hope you enjoyed it and I hope you'll leave me a review. We're almost to the end of the ride. Up next, the showdown with Sawyer and the rescue.

A/N2: I'd also like to thank gsrgirl4eva for inadvertently giving me the idea on how to end this chapter. I was originally gonna end it a little sooner but while trying to guess what would happen in this chapter she gave me the idea for Sawyer holding one of his prisoners at gunpoint on the front porch(so if you didn't like the cliffhanger, blame her HA HA HA HA. Kidding, don't blame her.)


	13. Sawyer's Last Stand

Disclaimer: Yada Yada Yada, same old garbage. I don't own Grissom but if I did I'd be willing to rent him out for a fee.

Rated: T

A/N: Sorry for the longer break between chapters. Been busy with work and when wasn't busy with that I was busy doing other things or too tired to write and therefore had no motivation. Finally found enough motivation and got this chapter done. I hope it was worth the wait. One more chapter after this and then the epilogue. As usual this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. Hope you enjoy it.:)

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_**Chapter 13**_

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Brass, Nick, and Warrick cringed as they got a good look at Grissom after Sawyer stopped him on the porch. They could see the bruising on the left side of his face, blood trickling down his cheek from a fresh cut, his left ankle splinted, wondering what kind of hell their friend and colleague had endured over the past two days.

"_Take one step towards this house and the bugman here goes bye bye."_ echoed in everyone's head.

By his posture Grissom stood like a brave man afraid of nothing, as well as a man with an injured ankle could stand, but one look in his eyes and the three men could clearly see the fear they held. They knew the fear wasn't for himself, they knew what kind of man he was, the fear was for the safety of his son.

"You alright Gil?!!" Brass hollered.

Grissom said nothing as he looked at the group.

"Gil are you ok?!!" Brass tried again.

Still Grissom said nothing.

"I'm sorry gentlemen but our dear friend Grissom here is not allowed to speak without permission. He knows the consequences if he does. Isn't that right Grissom?" Sawyer asked.

Grissom remained silent. Sawyer chuckled softly at this.

"You may reply to my question. Isn't that right Grissom?"

"Yes" Grissom answered through clenched teeth.

Brass, Warrick, and Nick all looked at each other with questioning faces.

What kind of consequences?

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_**Moments earlier....**_

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_Sawyer stormed into the basement prison, anger seething out of his ears, gun clenched in his right hand. The sound of the door slamming against the wall startled Grissom and Alex awake. Grissom, seeing Sawyer's face red with anger, propped himself up on his right forearm as he tightened his grasp around Alex's waist with his other arm._

_Alex shrunk back into his father's body, shaking a little with fear at the look on the man's face._

_Sawyer glanced between his two prisoners._

"_You. Come with me." Sawyer ordered a moment later, pointing at Alex._

"_NO." Grissom said firmly as he sat up, slowly swinging his legs over the side. Alex sat up beside him and grasped his right hand firmly._

"_No?" Sawyer asked sternly._

"_No"_

_Sawyer took a deep breathe and exhaled slowly._

"_And WHY...am I not taking him with me?"_

"_Cause I said so." Grissom replied._

"_Oh really?" Sawyer asked with a sly smirk._

"_Yes really. If anyone is going with you it'll be me. Alex stays here."_

_Grissom didn't know what was going on but he had a feeling from Sawyer's behavior that a new, and possibly unsuspected, situation had arisen. No way was he gonna let his son go off someplace where his life could be put in danger, and especially not with a nutjob like Sawyer._

_The once usually calm, cool, and collected man had now been replaced by a man who seemed to be flying by the seat of his pants and who knew what he might do in a moment of panic with his back against the wall._

_He hated to leave Alex alone but felt he'd be a lot safer there in the basement, away from Sawyer._

"_FINE" Sawyer said through gritted teeth, "Let's go....this could be more fun anyways."_

_Grissom arched his brow at the man. What did he mean by "fun"?_

"_But let's make one thing clear before we go." he began, causing Grissom to pause as he was beginning to push himself up, "You keep your mouth shut unless I give you permission to speak. One work out of you without permission and little Megan becomes an only child....maybe even fatherless too. Do we have an understanding?"_

_Grissom took a few quick breathes._

_He couldn't believe the turn this man had taken. Just the other day this man was ready to take away his family and treat them like his own, treat HIS children as if they were his all along. And now he was willing to kill Alex if he should utter one word without his say so, maybe even kill him too._

_The fact Sawyer told him to keep quiet told him they had company and they were not welcomed either._

"_Yes" Grissom finally replied._

"_Good, let's go." Sawyer said, waving the gun towards the door._

_Grissom slowly stood up, placing most of his weight on his good ankle. He nearly lost his balance as Alex grabbed his right hand once more._

"_NO DADDY, DON'T GO" he cried, tears welling in his eyes._

"_I have to go buddy. You have to stay here."_

"_NO!!" Alex yelled as he stood up and wrapped his arms around Grissom's waist._

"_Let's go" ordered Sawyer._

_Grissom removed Alex's arms from around his waist and sat him down, sitting back down with him._

"_You have to stay here. Its for your own saftey." Grissom explained._

"_I want to go with you." Alex cried as he wrapped his arms around Grissom once more, burying his head in Grissom's chest._

_Grissom stroked Alex's back._

"_I know, I don't want to leave you either but I have too....just for a little while" , Grissom said as he gently pulled Alex away from him, "You have to be a brave boy and stay here while I'm gone. Can you do that for me?"_

_Alex reluctantly nodded his head._

"_Good, everything will be alright"_

_....he hoped._

_Grissom carefully got up once more and winced as he took each step towards the door. Alex sat on the bed sniffling as he watched his dad limp through the doorway. The thought of possibly never seeing him again flashed through his mind._

"_NO!! Don't take my daddy away!!" Alex yelled as he rushed to the door. Sawyer slammed the door shut and locked it just before Alex could reach it._

"_NO!! Don't take him away!!" Alex yelled as he pounded on the door._

_Grissom had to fight the urge to whip around and try to take Sawyer down but in Sawyer's current state he didn't dare, as badly as he wanted too._

"_That way" Sawyer ordered as he pointed at the flight of stairs at the end of the short hall._

_Grissom grasped the railing and slowly climbed the stairs one at a time, trying to keep as much weight off his injured ankle as he could. When he finally reached the top he paused at the door, waiting for Sawyer's next order._

"_Open it."_

_Grissom obeyed and opened the door to another short hallway. To the left was the living room and the front door. To the right was the kitchen._

"_That way" Sawyer ordered, pointing to the front door. _

_Grissom could see red and blue lights flashing through the front window. His suspicions of an unwelcomed visitor or visitors was now confirmed and who the visitor or visitors were as well. Grissom stopped at the end of the hall, just to the right of the front door._

"_Stand in front of the door and face it."_

_Grissom did as ordered._

"_Shall we greet our public?"_

_Grissom stood silently._

"_Open it and walk out. Stop at the edge of the porch." Sawyer ordered as he placed the gun to Grissom's temple._

_Grissom opened the door, the brightness of the outdoors temporarily blinding him after the darkness of the basement. He paused for a moment, letting his eyes adjust, and then limped out onto the porch. As he reached the edge of the porch he sucked in a small breathe as he recognized three of the "visitors", not hearing Sawyer's initial threat to the group as he looked each of his friends in the eye. He hoped they would be able to get Alex out unharmed, if not himself as well._

"You may answer the captain now."

"I'm fine Jim." Grissom spoke, despite what his appearance told the crowd.

"Is Alex ok?"

Silence.

"You may answer him."

"He's ok Jim, just shaken up."

"Alright Sawyer, let him and the boy go. You have nothing to gain by keeping them." Brass ordered.

"Sure I do. As long as I got them I'm free. I let them go and you'll send me back to jail."

"Hey Rick, what's Griss doing with his eyes?" Nick asked whispering.

As Brass and Sawyer spoke Grissom had been blinking rapidly, in sequences, at the guys.

"He's using morse code." Warrick replied.

"I thought so." said Nick.

Both Nick and Warrick watched as Grissom repeated his message. He had taught the guys how to use morse code in case of emergency where they couldn't speak to one another. They had never needed to use it till now.

"You have two choices Sawyer, jail or a body bag." Brass yelled.

"Jim" whispered Nick.

"What?" he asked, turning to face Nick, "kind of busy here."

"Griss was sending us a morse code message with his eyes. This is what he wants us to do."

Nick whispered the plan in Brass's ear. Brass sighed as he nodded.

"Hey!! No whispering over there!!" yelled Sawyer.

"Alright Sawyer, which is it gonna be?" Brass asked ignoring Sawyer's order while he blinked slowly twice at Grissom to let him know they got the plan.

"I think I'll go with door #3 Monty" replied Sawyer as he began to back up, tugging on Grissom's shirt to walk backwards.

But Grissom didn't move.

"AHHH AHHH" Grissom began as he pretended to hold his finger horizontally under his nose with his head bent slightly back, as if trying to stop a sneeze.

"AHHH CHOO!!"

Grissom bent over quickly.

"OOOF!!" Sawyer exclaimed as Grissom's elbow came in contact with his stomach, before dropping to the floor, causing Sawyer to double over slightly.

"YOU SON OF A...." Sawyer began as he straightened up, pointing the gun at Grissom.

.

**BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG**

**.**

Brass fired first, then the other officers as they followed his lead.

Sawyer stumbled back as three bullets entered his body. He fell through the open doorway onto the living room floor.

"CALL AN AMBULANCE!!" Brass yelled as Nick, Warrick, and himself rushed forward.

"You ok Gil?" Brass asked as he and Nick got to Grissom lying on the porch while Warrick checked on Sawyer.

"I'm ok."

"You damn fool, you could have gotten yourself killed. What were you thinking?" asked Brass.

"I had to take the chance. Couldn't let him go back inside. Who knows what he would have done next. Couldn't risk him hurting Alex." Grissom rushed, breathing heavily as his heart raced with adrenaline.

"Sawyer's dead." Warrick stated as he joined the others.

"Where's Alex Griss?" Nick asked.

"In the basement. Sawyer has keys on him." Grissom answered as he attempted to get up.

"Whoa Whoa Whoa. Where do you think you're going?" asked Brass as he forced Grissom back down.

"Gotta get Alex."

"We'll get him Griss, come on Nicky." Warrick answered as they turned to Sawyer's body to find the keys.

"Just relax Gil, EMT's will be here soon. It's all over now." Brass stated as he took off his jacket and placed it under Grissom's head.

Grissom nodded his head as he layed on his back. A small smile started to form on his face.

"_Its all over."_ he thought as approaching sirens blared in the distance.

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_**TBC....**_

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A/N: Well that nutjob Sawyer is finally gone. Did he REALLY think he was gonna be able to steal Grissom's family and make them his own? I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the story up to this point. Reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you'll leave me one. Just one more chapter to go and then the epilogue. The epilogue is already written(had the idea back around chapter 4 or so and wrote it out) and just have a few little changes I want to make to it but its basically done so you won't have to wait long for it after the final chapter. Aren't you glad I didn't leave you with yet another cliffhanger? :)

~Neelloc12~


	14. Reunited

Disclaimer: Don't own Grissom, Sara, or any other part of CSI. Yada, Yada, Yada. You know the deal. If I did I would share Grissom for a small fee. Members of GSRForeverlove would get a members discount ;P

Rated: T

A/N: Well folks we have finally reached the end of the road. This is the final chapter, and my longest, with only the epilogue left to follow. I realized I forgot to have Sawyer unchain Grissom in the last chapter before they left the room. Oops, my bad. Thank you to all who have been reading along and a special thank you to all who took the time to leave me a review. They have been greatly appreciated. I have enjoyed writing this story and hope you have enjoyed reading it. As always this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes(like forgetting to have Sawyer unchain Grissom before taking him from the room) are mine. Now onto the final chapter.

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_**Chapter 14**_

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_BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG_

Alex froze as he heard the gunshots. After Sawyer had left with his father he continued to bang on the door and yell for another minute before finally giving up. He had wandered over to the bed and curled up in the fetal position, his face stained with tears, when he heard the shots.

"_Daddy"_

Alex bolted from the bed and ran to the door.

"DADDY!! DADDY!!" he yelled, fearing the worst, as he banged on the door with his little fists.

Nick and Warrick searched the body and found the keys on the belt. "Got em" announced Nick as he grabbed the keys, "ok let's go find our little buddy." They stood up and spotted the open basement door.

"That way" says Warrick.

As they headed down the stairs they could hear the banging on the door and a little voice yelling on the other side.

"Alex?!" Nick yelled when they got to the door. The banging and yelling stopped.

"_Uncle Nicky?"_

"Yeah its me buddy. Uncle Rick is here too. We're coming in so I need you to back away from the door ok?"

"_ok"_

Nick took the keys, unlocked the door, and gently opened it in case Alex hadn't backed far enough away.

"UNCLE NICKY!!" Alex exclaimed as soon as he saw him, jumping into Nick's arms.

"Hey buddy, you ok?" Nick asked, hugging Alex tightly.

"Uh-huh" Alex replied nodding his head as he pulled back slightly. Alex then spotted Warrick behind Nick.

"Uncle Rick!!" he yelled, leaning towards Warrick for a hug, still in Nick's arms.

"Hey pal" Warrick replied, giving Alex a hug.

Alex suddenly straightened up with his eyes wide.

"Where's my daddy? I heard shots. Did the bad man shoot daddy? He said he was just gonna leave me for a little while" Alex rattled off quickly.

"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down buddy" Nick began, "you're daddy's alright, they're just taking him to the hospital so the doctors can help him feel better. Grampa Jim and the police officers shot the bad man."

"Gampa got the bad man? He not gonna hurt daddy anymore?"

"That's right. No more" added Warrick.

"Ok buddy, lets get you upstairs" Nick said as he began to climb the stairs.

As they got to the top of the stairs, Alex spotted Sawyer's body on the living room floor and quickly buried his face into Nick's shoulder.

"Its ok buddy, its ok" he whispered as he carried Alex past the body and outside. Brass stood on the lawn watching the ambulance carrying Grissom drive off. A second ambulance arrived as the first left.

"GAMPA!!" Alex shouted.

Nick placed Alex on the ground so the boy could run to Brass.

"Hey buddy" Brass said as he scooped up the boy in his arms.

"You guys better get going on processing the scene. I'll take care of Alex from here."

"You got it" both men replied.

"We'll see you later ok buddy?" Nick said as he patted Alex's back.

"Ok, bye Uncle Nicky. Bye Uncle Rick" Alex replied.

"See ya pal" said Warrick.

"Sir, we need to take the boy now to get checked out." the EMT said as he came over. Brass could feel Alex's grip tighten around his neck.

"Ok but I'm going with him" said Brass. Alex relaxed his grip as he heard this.

"Ok, right this way sir" the EMT spoke as he turned to the ambulance.

Brass climbed into the ambulance behind the EMT and placed Alex on the gurney. The driver closed the doors, then hopped in behind the wheel and drove off. As the EMT checked Alex over Brass got out his cell to call Catherine.

"_Willows"_

"Hey Cath, its Jim"

"_Hey Jim, what's goin on? Any news?"_

"We got them Cath, we got Gil and Alex"

"_They found them"_ he heard Catherine tell Sara and Irene. Brass had to pull the phone away from his ear momentarily as he heard loud screams of excitement on the other end.

"_How are they Jim?"_ Catherine asked after the screaming quieted down.

"Gil is pretty banged up on the left side but should fully recover. Alex is fine but shaken up a bit. They're gonna give him the once over at the hospital just as a precaution anyways."

Catherine relayed the information to the other women.

"_Sara and I will meet you at the hospital"_

"Ok, we'll be there in a moment." Brass spoke before shutting his cell phone.

"You doin ok buddy?"

"Yeah, I just want my mommy and daddy"

"I know kiddo. Your mom and Aunt Catherine are gonna meet us at the hospital. We'll see your daddy as soon as we can."

Alex nodded in response. Moments later the ambulance pulled into the hospital parking lot. While a doctor examined Alex, Brass went up to the reception desk to speak with a nurse.

"Excuse me ma'am? I'm Capt. Jim Brass with the LVPD. I'm looking for information on a Gil Grissom? He was brought in moments ago."

"Just a moment Capt." replied the nurse as she picked up the phone. A moment later the nurse hung up the phone.

"The doctor will be out to speak with you shortly."

"Thank you ma'am" Brass replied before going to sit down in a chair. Five minutes later Sara and Catherine rushed through the door.

"Where are they Jim? Where's Gil and Alex?" Sara asked.

"Doctor should be out in a minute to speak about Gil and a doctor is checking over Alex." Just as he finished speaking a doctor came out into the hall holding Alex's hand. "Make that WAS checking him over. Here he comes now."

Sara and Catherine looked in the direction he was pointing.

"MOMMY!!" Alex exclaimed happily as he let go of the doctor's hand and ran to Sara.

"Alex baby!!" Sara cried as she dropped to her knees to embrace her son, nearly getting knocked over from the force as Alex ran into her arms.

"I've been worried sick over you. Don't you EVER take off like that again, do you hear me?" Sara demanded.

"I'm sorry mommy but daddy said I was the man of the house when he was gone and that I had to look after you and Megan. You were very sad. I had to find daddy so you would be happy again."

Sara finally loosened her grasp on Alex and pulled back slightly to look him in the eye.

"Baby, daddy meant for you to stay at the house and help me take care of your sister. It was bad enough not knowing where daddy was, but do you know how terrified I was when I found out you were gone? Not knowing where you were?"

Alex shook his head no. He hadn't thought about that.

"The world can be very scarey and dangerous out there..."

Alex nodded. Boy she wasn't kidding.

"...finding missing people is a job for grownups, not little boys. You could have gotten hurt out there or lost. Do you understand?"

He nodded again.

"Now as punishment for taking off like that you are grounded for the next 20 yrs."

Alex's eyes grew wide. Even at his young age he already knew what a grounding was considering he had been grounded for one week with no television or friends just days after his 5th birthday. Grissom had bought the same exact chemistry set for Alex as he had gotten as a child.

"_Gil, are you sure that's a wise idea? Remember what you did with yours._

"_Sara, he'll be fine. He'll only be allowed to play with it with adult supervision._

Of course that following Saturday Alex wanted to try it out but both his parents were still sleeping. He knew he was supposed to wait but he was too anxious._ "I'll be very careful"_ he thought, _"What could go wrong?"_

When Grissom told his mother on I.M. that night about the three hours it took to clean up the kitchen and how he was told NOT to play with it without an adult, his mother burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that she couldn't reply.

_**GrissomHive4.0:** "Mom?"_

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:** "Sorry dear but I couldn't stop laughing long enough to type."_

_**GrissomHive4.0:** "What's so funny?"_

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:** "Well Gilbert dear, I seem to remember your father and I telling you the same thing and you remember what happened."_

He blushed at the memory of nearly destroying his childhood home.

"BUT" Sara continued, "If you PROMISE never to take off like that again, I'll reduce your sentence to 10 yrs. probation ok?"

"OK mommy, I promise" he replied, _"What's a probabyshun?"_ he thought.

He was about to ask when a doctor approached.

"Family of Gil Grissom?" the doctor asked. He was about 5'10" with short dark hair, few gray hairs around the temples. Looked about late 30s-early 40s.

"Right here." Sara spoke as she stood up, picking up Alex in the process, "I'm his wife. How is he?"

"Mrs. Grissom, I'm Dr. Mathew. Your husband is a very lucky man. He suffered a couple broken ribs, one of which came dangerously close to puncturing a lung."

Sara gasped softly and covered her mouth with her free hand. Catherine and Brass each placed a hand on her shoulders for comfort.

"He's also suffered a broken left ankle which will require a couple plates to help with the healing." the doctor continued, "He's also got multiple bruises over the left side of his face, ribs, and stomach. He's gonna be a pretty sore puppy for a few days or so as his body begins to heal. We're prepping him for surgery now."

"Can we see him before he goes in?" asked Sara hopefully.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Grissom but we've already moved him. We had a cancelled surgery so I wanted to get him in right away while the room was available. The sooner we get him patched up the sooner he can heal."

"Thank you doctor." Sara said nodding. She hated not being able to see Gil first but she understood. She just wanted him to get better.

"It'll be a couple hours or so. I'll let you know when he's out of surgery and when you can see him." Dr. Mathew then smiled at the group before turning and walking away.

An hour later Nick, Warrick, and Greg arrived at the hospital.

"Hey, how's he doing?" asked Warrick.

Sara relayed what the doctor told her to the guys.

"That's awesome that he's gonna be ok. We would have been here sooner but we needed to stop by the vet to pick up Greg and we wanted to see how he was doing anyways." said Nick.

"Oh my god, Bruno!!" Sara exclaimed suddenly, "I forgot all about him. What kind of person am I?"

"A woman worried about her husband and child's well-being, that's what kind. Bruno's not gonna think any less of you." said Catherine.

"Yeah Sara, just give him a big juicy steak and I'm sure he'll call it even." Greg suggested.

Sara chuckled.

"That's a promise" she replied.

"How bout one for me too?" asked Greg teasing.

"Don't push your luck Greg" Sara said smirking.

"So how is he?" asked Brass.

"The vet said they got the bullet out no problem and there was minor tissue damage. He said Bruno's gonna be just fine and can go home tomorrow. He'll just need to be kept quiet for awhile so he doesn't tear the stitches." Warrick answered.

"Yeah and Greg here stayed at the vet's office the whole time." Nick added.

"Thank you Greg. That means a lot" Said Sara from her chair, a sleeping Alex leaning against her chest.

"No problem....sure I can't get a steak too?" he teased again.

"GREG" everyone warned, little smirks on their faces.

"FINE" he replied, pretending to look dejected but failing miserably.

A short time later a nurse had found a coloring book and crayons for Alex who had woken up and was starting to fidget from the long wait. He now sat on the floor in front of Sara coloring with Greg while they continued to wait for news on Grissom. An hour and a half later Dr. Mathew approached.

"Well everything went just fine. He's in recovery now. He'll be out of it for awhile."

"Can we see him?" asked Sara.

"In a little while. I'll send a nurse to let you know when you can see him. If you'll excuse me I have rounds to make."

"Thank you Dr. Mathew" Sara spoke, the gang nodding their appreciation. Dr. Mathew nodded with a smile and left.

"I'll go call Joy and give her an update." Sara said as she stood up to go to the nurses' station to use their phone. Sara had already called Joy from Irene's house before she and Catherine left for the hospital. As much as she wanted to be there for her son, Joy felt it was best if she stayed with Megan at the house, afraid the baby might catch something from a sick person at the hospital. She said she and the baby would stop by when Grissom was settled in his room so they could just go to his room and minimize the baby's exposure.

20 mins. after Sara returned from Calling Joy, a nurse approached the group.

"Mr. Grissom is awake now and the doctor said you may see him now."

"YAY!!" everyone cheered. The nurse chuckled at their enthusiasm.

"We just moved him into his room. Its room 204 on the 2nd floor."

"Thank you nurse" Sara said as she took Alex's hand. Greg picked up the coloring book and crayons and handed them to the nurse.

"Sara, I'll call Joy for you and then meet you in Gil's room." Brass offered.

"Thanks Jim" replied Sara as the rest of the group headed for the elevator. Minutes later they stood in the doorway to Grissom's room. Grissom lay in bed looking out the window on the opposite side of the room.

"DADDY!!" yelled Alex as he let go of Sara's hand and ran to the bed.

"Gentle Alex, daddy's sore" warned Sara.

Alex climbed onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Grissom's neck.

Grissom grimaced slightly from the pain but didn't complain. He was more concerned with seeing his family and friends again over any physical pain.

"Hey little bug" Grissom said as he hugged his son back.

"Hey honey" Sara said as she approached the opposite side of the bed and leaned over to gently kiss Grissom, "How are you feeling?"

"At the moment pretty good. Ask me again later when the pain meds begin to wear off." he replied.

Everyone in the room chuckled as Brass rejoined the group.

"Now as for you young man. I believe we need to have a little talk about your little journey." Grissom said turning his head towards Alex.

"Uhhh, we've already had a discussion about that." Sara answered.

"And?" he asked.

"I'm on probabyshun" Alex answered.

"Probation? Sara, you put our son on probation?" Grissom asked with a chuckle. Sara smirked as she gave a little shrug.

"Well I told him if he promised never to take off like that again I would reduce his 20 yr. grounding to 10 yrs. probation."

Everyone in the room chuckled again.

"Mommy? What's a probabyshun anyways?"

"Well baby, it means that I brought you into this world, I can take you out again if you break your promise."

Alex's eyes grew wide with shock.

"Uh honey? I believe I helped with the bringing into the world part." Grissom said with a smirk.

"Oh fine, WE brought you into this world so WE can take you out of it again. Get the picture?"

Alex nodded his head quickly.

"So Gil, feel like telling us a story?" Brass asked.

Grissom nodded and took a deep breath before launching into the details of his abduction and captivity. He paused briefly five minutes later to greet his mother and daughter as they arrived to visit.

He told everyone about the struggle at the crime scene when he was taken, about Sawyer's plan to hold him captive forever while he attempted to claim Grissom's family as his own, how Sawyer appeared to do a 180 personality wise when he suddenly threatened to take Alex's life if Grissom disobeyed him and spoke to Brass and the guys without permission.

The gang gasped with shock throughout his story. Everyone's jaw hung open by the end.

"Man that dude was really sick in the head huh?" asked Greg. Everyone nodded and mumbled their agreement. Just then Grissom let out a big yawn, his eyes beginning to droop slightly. Alex had fallen asleep during the story and now lay snuggled into Grissom's right side with his head resting on Grissom's chest.

"I think that's our cue to leave guys." suggested Brass. The gang all bid there farewell to Grissom and left the room.

"Gil honey, do you need anything before we leav..." Sara cut short her question as she saw Grissom had fallen asleep, holding Alex to him.

Sara and Joy smiled at each other over the sight.

Sara gently moved Grissom's arm and lifted Alex as quietly as she could while Joy held Megan's sleeping form. Each woman gently kissed Grissom on the forehead before departing with the sleeping children on their shoulders.

The next day Sara, Alex and Greg went to pick up Bruno(Greg offered to help pick the dog up) from the vet.

"BRUNO!!" Alex exclaimed happily when they saw the canine. Bruno limped over to his little master as quickly as he could and knocked him over with his enthusiasm. Alex laid on the floor and giggled as Bruno lapped his face. As promised, that night Bruno dined on a big juicy steak.

A week later Grissom was permitted to go home with orders to rest for one week before attempting to put any weight on his ankle, which had been wrapped in a walking cast to help him get around easier. A nurse showed Sara how to rebandage Grissom's ribs after washing and how to wrap the cast to keep it from getting wet. Joy stayed a few days to help get him settled before returning home.

Grissom was happy to finally get away from the sponge baths every other day. It always made him feel a little uncomfortable to have a nurse see him in his boxers while she sponged him off.

A few days after Grissom got home Sara decided he needed a shower.

"Come on Pepe, you're starting to smell" Sara teased as she helped him undress, get into the shower, and sit down on a plastic chair she had placed inside. "I'll be right back."

A few minutes later Sara returned in her bathing suit so she could help Grissom wash himself and not get her clothes wet.

"A bathing suit?" he asked.

"Yeah, I don't want to get my clothes all wet." Sara replied.

"Uhh....honey? Why didn't you just take your clothes off. Its not like I haven't seen you naked before. In fact need I remind you we have two "examples" to prove it."

"Yeah well, need I remind YOU that the bathroom door's lock is broken and the older of those two "examples" could barge in unannounced.

"Oh yeah."

"Oh yeah is right. Now lean your head back." Sara ordered as she gently tilt his head back into the stream of water to wet his hair before proceeding to shampoo it.

Four weeks later Grissom was able to loose his crutches and use a cane instead to help get around. His ribs had nearly healed, causing only the occasional mild discomfort, and the doctor said his cast could come off in another month.

Bruno also was healing nicely. He now walked with just a slight limp. Sara found it cute and amusing to watch Grissom and Bruno walk up and down the street with their little limps since their injuries were on the same side. They looked like synchronized limpers to her.

Catherine and the guys came by at the end of the fourth week to take the kids for an afternoon of fun so Grissom and Sara could relax and have some time alone. No sooner had the gang left when Grissom turned to Sara and gave her a sly smile.

"Sooo....wanna play greyhound races?"

"Greyhound races?" Sara asked with a giggle.

"Yeah, you can be the rabbit and I'll be the greyhound" he replied winking his brow, "or better yet we can play fox hunt."

"Fox hunt? And who may I ask would be the "fox" in this hunt?" Sara asked with a sly smile of her own.

Grissom smiled slyly at Sara once more.

"ARRROOOO!!" Grissom exclaimed as he turned his head up towards the ceiling, giving his best impression of a beagle.

Sara stood laughing with her hand covering her mouth when suddenly se squealed with delight and ran as Grissom gave chase, hobbling as fast as he could, chasing her around the house.

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_**6 weeks later....**_

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***PING***

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:** Hello? Anyone there?_

_**GrissomHive4.5:** Hello Joy, its Sara. How are you?_

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:** I'm doing well dear. I just wanted to check in and see how my family was doing. How is Gil feeling?_

_**GrissomHive4.5:** He's doing well. He had the cast removed 2 weeks ago and he's still using the cane until his ankle is stronger. He started physical therapy last week._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:** That's wonderful. How has he been sleeping? Anymore nightmares?_

When Grissom first got home he had nightmares almost nightly, dreaming that Sawyer had succeeded in stealing his family. Watching them laugh and play as he banged on the walls of his all glass box prison, screaming to Sara and the kids. Other nights he dreamt Sawyer not only killed Alex but Sara and Megan as well despite following orders not to speak. Sara spoke with Dr. Mathew and he suggested she have Grissom speak with a therapist about his ordeal and that it wouldn't hurt for the whole family to go.

_**GrissomHive4.5:** Nope. He hasn't had a nightmare for 2 weeks now. I think the therapy has helped him a lot. I think its been good for all of us. I know Alex was worried about Gil going back to work last week but the therapy has really helped him with his fears._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:** That's great. How are my grandchildren doing?_

_**GrissomHive4.5:** They've been great. Megan has started smiling._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:** Oh, I hope you got a picture for me._

_**GrissomHive4.5:** You know I would. I'll scan it and send it soon. Also Alex won his kindergarten class's spelling bee last week._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:** That's my grandson._

_**GrissomHive4.5:** His elementary school is having a science fair in a few months, open to all students. He wants to do a project involving ants like Gil did._

_**QueenBeeGrannyG:** Doesn't surprise me in the least. That boy is just like his father. My my my, sounds like you've had a lot going on lately. Anything else?_

_**GrissomHive4.5:** Well there is ONE more thing...._

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_**THE END**_

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A/N: Hmmm what could be that one more thing Sara has to tell? I'd love to hear any guesses. Here's a hint, compare the 3 IMs between Sara and Joy and Grissom and Joy. Do you notice something different? I'll let you know if you guess correctly. The character of Dr. Mathew was named after my real doctor who has taken care of me since birth(we're talking 30 yrs. here). I hope you enjoyed this final chapter. Up next, the epilogue. Thank you all for reading and reviews are greatly appreciated so I hope you'll leave me one.

~Neelloc12~


	15. Epilogue

Disclaimer: *sigh* still don't own Grissom I'm sorry to say, or Sara, or Nick, or Greg, or anyone else for that matter. You know, the usual hoopla.

Rated: T

A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter, they were wonderful, and made a guess at Sara's last surprise. Everyone guessed correctly. Yup another Grissom offspring was on the way hence the messenger name going from 4.0 to 4.5, representing "in progress" lol. I hope you all have enjoyed the story and now we complete our journey with the epilogue. I hope you will enjoy it as well. As always this story is still not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. Now onto the epilogue, enjoy :).

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_**Epilogue**_

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**16 years later....**

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"MEGAN!! YOUR DATE IS HERE!!" Yelled Sara up the stairs.

"BE DOWN IN A FEW MINUTES!!...........HEY MOM?"

"YEAH?"

"COULD YOU COME HELP ME FOR A SEC.?"

Sara chuckled lightly to herself as she headed up the stairs to help her daughter.

Tonight was Megan's Jr. Prom and her date, 17 yr. old Ben Sterling(Megan would be turning 17 herself in 2 months) had just arrived to pick her up. Megan, Ben, and two other couples had chipped in on a limo. They would pick up the two couples next and then go to dinner before the prom.

Grissom was at the lab helping determine the T.O.D. of a bug infested body. He had retired from the lab six years ago but still helped out occasionally whenever they needed him and his bugs.

"Hey Ben!! Come here for a sec would ya?!!" yelled Alex from the backyard where he and his 15 yr. old brother Miles(who also looked like a Gil Grissom clone like Alex but with their mother's brown eyes) had been playing fetch with a tennis ball and their boxer B.J.(Bruno Jr.). B.J. looked so much like his predecessor, who had passed away 6 yrs. earlier at the age of 14, that they decided to name him after Bruno.

Alex, who had just turned 21 a week earlier, was home from college where he was double majoring in forensic science and entomology in hopes of being like his father one day. His best friend Adam also attended the same college, majoring in criminology, and was also Alex's roommate.

"Uhhh Hi" the shy boy said as he joined Alex on the deck. Miles continued to play with B.J. in the yard.

"Hey Ben, how ya doin?" Alex asked.

"Good" he replied.

"Looking forward to taking my sister to the prom are ya?"

"Yup" Ben replied.

"I'm sure she's told you what our parents do or did for a living?"

"Yes she has" Ben answered, wondering where this conversation was leading.

"You know my dad was the top CSI in Vegas, maybe the whole country?"

Ben nodded.

"Now you're gonna treat my sister right tonight at the prom right? Not gonna try any funny business?"

"No I won't try any funny business. My father told me to always treat a lady with respect."

"_Wow, this kid can ACTUALLY say more then three words."_

"Good, good. You know Travis McGee didn't listen when my father told him the same thing last year at the sophomore dance. Dad was a chaperone at the dance and saw him try to grab Megan's ass more then once despite her protest."

"But Travis transferred after the dance, moved to D.C." Ben stated.

"That's what they WANTED you to think" Alex replied firmly.

Ben swallowed nervously.

"Did you know I'm studying forensic science and plan on following in my father's footsteps?" he asked with a questioning brow.

"Uhhh yup, Megan told me all about your family."

"So you must know that I found my father when he went missing when I was only 5 yrs. old."

"Yeah she mentioned something about that."

"Well I guess what I'm getting at is if I can find a person at age 5, I can certainly make one disappear at 21. Plus I've had a great role model in my father." he said with a mischievous smile.

Ben's eyes grew wide as he shuffled his feet nervously and swallowed hard.

"READY!!" Megan called from inside. Ben quickly rushed back inside as Alex chuckled to himself, following behind him.

"Have a good time" Sara called after the couple as they left, Ben still having a bit of a shocked look on his face. Sara arched her left brow and turned towards Alex.

"Alright mini-Gil, what did you do? What did you say to that boy?"

"Nothing" Alex replied innocently, clearly faking a shocked expression.

"Don't give me that "nothing" act, what did you say to him?"

"What did who say to who?" asked Grissom as he walked through the front door, same time as Miles came in through the sliding door from the deck giggling with B.J. by his side.

"What are you laughing at?" Sara asked.

"Nothing" he replied, quickly wiping the smile off his face as his mother eyed him suspiciously with a small smile.

"So what's going on here?" asked Grissom.

"Well YOUR son here said something to Megan's date that freaked him out"

"Why are they always MY sons when they've done something wrong?" asked Grissom innocently.

"20+ hours of labor with no drugs for each of them says they are, that's why" Sara answered.

"Gotcha....so what did MY son say to this boy to freak him out?" Grissom asked, turning his head towards Alex.

"I didn't say anything dad....except maybe mention Travis McGee" he finished with a smirk. Grissom smirked back at his oldest child.

"What are YOU smiling about now?" asked Sara, eyeing Gil suspiciously.

"Nothing."

"That seems to be a popular word tonight, now what's so funny?" she asked.

"Gee look at the time" Grissom began as he looked at his watchless wrist while he quickly headed for the basement stairs, "come on Alex, we need to get some training done with the roaches before dinner. Remember the race is next weekend in Boston."

"Oh yeah" Alex replied as he darted down the stairs behind his father like a couple of little kids. Sara dropped her head and shook it in defeat with a soft chuckle.

"I'm gonna go help them too" said Miles as he headed for the stairs.

"HOLD IT" Sara ordered, causing Miles to freeze, "have you finished your apology letter to the principal?"

"Uhhh....almost" he replied.

"Well "UHHH" you better go finish it right now young man or you're not going to the races with your father and brother next weekend. You're lucky we said you could still go after what you did."

"Awww do I have to mom?"

"You wanna go to the roach races? Or how bout live to see sixteen next month?"

Miles quickly turned around and sprinted up the stairs two at a time. No way was he missing the races....or his birthday for that matter. Most kids thought their parents were pulling their legs when they threatened to take them back out of the world, not the Grissom children. They knew not only could their parents make good on their threat, but also make it look like they had never been born in the first place.

Sara chuckled as she watched him take off, she learned long ago one of the joys of parenthood was watching your children squirm with idle threats. It was only a week ago she got to use the popular "brought you into this world" threat as she remembered the incident that got her youngest child suspended from school for two weeks.

The week before Miles thought it'd be fun to bring one of Gil's prized racing cockroaches, Herman, to school to show his buddies. He then thought he'd show it to a girl in class he liked. His mother liked his father's bugs so surely this girl would like bugs too right?......wrong.

She took one look at the roach and screamed at the top of her lungs, knocking the insect from Miles's hand with her own in the process. The bug ran along the floor and other girls began to scream, running into the hall. Miles managed to wrangle the runaway roach just before one girl could squash it with her shoe.

It took 20 mins. to get the girls calmed down and everyone back into their seats. The teacher ordered Miles to put the roach back in whatever container he brought it in and then go see the principal.

Rumors began to spread throughout the school and by the end of the day it was believed that the school was infested with thousands of roaches. Word reached parents who called the school complaining the next day. In order to make all the parents happy an exterminator had to be called in to ensure there was no infestation of any kind.

Miles had originally been given only a detention but after the uproar his "show n tell" had caused the principal was forced to suspend him for two weeks for disrupting the entire school. Part of Grissom wanted to laugh at the situation but part of him was also furious over one of his prized roaches being taken to school without his permission.

Miles was grounded for the length of his suspension and not allowed to leave the house and no t.v. or video games. Grissom and Sara also thought it would be a good idea if Miles wrote a letter of apology to the principal for upsetting the entire school. However since the whole situation was purely unintentional, Grissom and Sara decided Miles could still go to Boston with Gil and Alex but that was the one exception. Sara just prayed the city of Boston could survive the men in her family for a few days.

Sara went back into the kitchen to finish dinner. She could hear Gil and Alex downstairs excitedly cheering on their roaches(Alex's racing roaches picture he drew for Gil when he was 5 now hung framed over the roaches' cages). She chuckled to herself over their enthusiasm and wondered what was she gonna do with her family. Megan was the most "normal" of her four "children"(that included Gil) but even she had her moments over the years.

She paused to think back to those two long days 16 yrs. earlier when a deranged man took her husband and disrupted their lives. The memory gave her the same answer it always did whenever she asked herself that question and then thought back to that time.

She was gonna continue to love them and be thankful for what she had....

"_GO HERMAN GO!! Look at him go dad!!"_

"_We're gonna give them a run for their money this time son."_

....the craziest and most wonderful family a woman could ask for.

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_**The End**_

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A/N: Well there ya go folks. The end of the line. Please watch your step as you depart the train. I hope you enjoyed the epilogue and the rest of the story as well. Miles was named after my Grampa Howard(who if you remember was part of the name of the park along with my maternal grandfather)'s middle name. Couldn't you just picture one of Gil and Sara's children disrupting an entire school with a single racing cockroach? Or how bout Gil and Alex threatening to make any of Megan's dates disappear if they upset her? LOL. Reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you'll leave me one(I'm so close to reaching 100 for the story :).) Thanks again for reading.

~Neelloc12~


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